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The official recommendation of the government in many countries, including the United Kingdom, for decades, is to advise to limit the intake of saturated fats.
But many people ignore this advice, preferring to believe that saturated fats – which are the largest quantities in foods such as meat products, fatty dairy products, butter, ghee, cakes and cookies, as well as Coconut and palm oils – are not bad for us, even with high consumption.
You will almost certainly have more saturated fat than the amount officially recommended if you follow one of the most popular diets, such as keto or paleo diet, or if you follow the trend of pouring butter or fat in your coffee every morning. Consume more than 100 g of fat meat, pastries or cheese each day and you will easily exceed the limit set in the British dietary guidelines: 20 g for women or 30 g for men.
The science of traditional nutrition says that too much saturated fat increases cholesterol levels in the blood, which can lead to "stuffing" of the arteries and increased risk of heart attack or stroke. stroke. But some scientists say that saturated fats are not the problem of heart disease, rather emphasizing chronic inflammation.
Proponents of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet also suggest that current dietary recommendations "low in fat and high in carbohydrates" are wrong and that obesity and diabetes would be better treated by consuming fats. , including saturated fats, reducing carbohydrates and avoiding snacking – a stance that has been challenged by experts from the British Dietetic Association and others, who think it's less than the guidelines are wrong, and more that we do not follow them.
For the general population, most health organizations in countries recommend limiting fats, especially saturated fats. British dietary guidelines, for example, recommend that 35% of our dietary energy (calories) should come from fat and about 50% from carbohydrates. (It should be noted that this may actually be considered a moderately high carbohydrate and carbohydrate diet, not a low fat and high carbohydrate diet).
For saturated fats in particular, the numbers are even lower. The UK recommends not to include more than 11% of our calories from food and beverages, while the US and the World Health Organization recommend less than 10%. That would be about 20g per day in women (the equivalent of 2.5 tablespoons of butter or four supermarket sausages) and 30g per day in men (a hamburger with a quarter of a pound with cheese, plus four tablespoons of double cream).
The American Heart Association goes further and suggests a figure of 5 to 6%.
Since the titles are often contradictory and the experts seem to disagree, it is not surprising that people do not know what to believe about saturated fats. What is the reality?
Lynne Garton, a registered dietitian and dietetic advisor with Heart, a charitable organization that specializes in cholesterol, said the latest trend towards saturated fats over other types is very worrying: we are already eating too much. British adults exceed recommendations by consuming 12.5% of calories from saturated fat, even though their total fat intake is approximately equal. Americans consume on average 11% of their calories from saturated fats and Australians consume 12%.
"There are a number of factors that help increase cholesterol levels in the blood, but a high saturated fat diet is one of them, and this has been confirmed by studies going back to the 1950s," says Garton.
"In addition, despite some claims to the contrary, the profusion of scientific evidence indicates that total cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol – often referred to as" bad "cholesterol – are a proven contributor to heart disease."
Garton adds that some people could benefit from eating even less saturated fats than the standard recommendation, especially those with other risk factors for heart disease.
Replacement of fat
That said, saturated fats are not as ugly as we thought. Indeed, this is just one of many dietary factors affecting the risk of heart disease, all of which are interdependent.
Not to mention that if you take saturated fat in your diet, you probably replace those calories with something else.
"Some studies have questioned the direct link between saturated fat and heart disease, but these have not generally considered what saturated fats are when they are reduced in the diet. crucial point, "says Garton.
A number of international organizations rely on scientific evidence to recommend reducing saturated fats and replacing them with unsaturated fats.
Scientific research confirms this advice. In one study, when 5% of the calories from saturated fats were replaced by an equal number of calories from polyunsaturated fats (such as salmon, sunflower oil, nuts and seeds) or monounsaturated fats ( such as olive and rapeseed oils), the risk of death regardless of the cause was reduced by 19% and 11% respectively. Both types of "good" fat substitution have reduced heart attacks. The same has been true of replacing saturated fats with whole grain carbohydrates such as brown rice and whole wheat bread.
However, when sugar and refined starches (such as white flour) replace saturated fats, the risk of heart attack actually increases.
"Most of the national nutrition recommendations, including in the UK, Australia and the US, already recognize that exchanging some of our diet's saturated fats for unsaturated fats is good for the heart." Says co-author of the study, Peter Clifton, assistant professor in nutrition at the university. from South Australia.
"But you can add to that that it's also probably okay to replace some foods high in saturated fats with whole grain foods, but that it's definitely not worth exchanging them with sugar or carbohydrates." refined. This could actually be worse than not reducing saturated fats at all.
"Unfortunately, when the food industry started creating lighter versions of foods such as ready meals, puddings and yogurts, the percentage of sugar often went up, which would probably not have happened. not reduce the risk of heart disease. "
It is also true that some types of saturated fatty acids that make up saturated fats are less harmful than others. For example, stearic acid, which accounts for about half of the saturated fat in dark chocolate, does not increase blood cholesterol. (The other saturated fatty acid – palmitic acid – however, is better not to eat the whole bar).
Other research indicates that the "food matrix" is important. In cheese and yogurt, for example, calcium (a mineral that can maintain normal blood pressure) may explain why these foods have less impact on increasing LDL cholesterol than, for example, bacon. This could also help to explain the observation that the consumption of dairy products (including fatty dairy products) does not appear to be associated with coronary heart disease. (It is important to conduct such studies with skepticism, because, like many nutritional studies, they show a correlation, not a cause-and-effect relationship, in other words, people who consume more dairy products could simply having a healthier lifestyle.It is also important to note that studies focused on dairy products tend to look at milk and yogurt, but much less about butter or cream).
Of course, luck and good genes can also go very far. "We all know someone whose grandma has lived up to 103 years and who eats a lot of butter, cream and juices," says Garton. "But at the population level, all the evidence suggests that the healthiest diet is one that contains lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and high-fat sources of unsaturated fats such as nuts and oily fish.
"Rather than focusing on individual nutrients, we should look at the overall diet and include a lot of these heart-healthy foods," she added.
In short, we advise you to follow a healthy Mediterranean diet – and avoid buttered coffees, hamburgers and bacon.
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