Government panel says saturated fats in butter, cheese and meat are bad for you

People should reduce their consumption of butter, cheese and red meat because the saturated fat they contain is bad for the heart, said a government committee.

Fats have been demonized since the 1970s, after they have been badociated with high cholesterol, but there is some evidence to suggest that they can have health benefits.

After the first review of evidence in 25 years, government counselors decided that excessive consumption of saturated fat increased the risk of heart disease.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition stated that the advice formulated in 1994 should not change and that controversial fats should no longer account for more than 10% of an adult's daily caloric intake.

Critics criticized the indications, saying they were "outdated" and accusing the group of blatant incompetence.

Researchers have warned that saturated fats, which contain a lot of butter, should not be completely avoided as they may cut out foods that offer other nutritional benefits, he added.

"According to the evidence, our report confirms that reducing saturated fats reduces total cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease," said committee professor Paul Haggarty.

"Our advice remains that saturated fats should be reduced to about 10% of the food energy."

This limits the average adult between 200 and 250 calories from saturated fat each day, which corresponds to about 31 g of butter.

The SACN said that saturated fats should be exchanged for unsaturated fats, found in fish, nuts, olives, avocados and vegetable oil.

Examples of these switches include the use of margarine instead of butter, vegetable oil instead of lard, fish instead of red meat and fruit instead of cake.

But Dr. Astrup, head of the Copenhagen Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sport, said that comparable data exchanges are not always appropriate.

In a recent article in the British Medical Journal, he and his colleagues argued that fats have different effects in different foods.

Dr. Astrup said, "It does not make sense to work with this limit that does not respect different food sources.

"The government's report completely ignored the issues we raised and it continues to work with the outdated" single nutrient method ".

Dr. Arne Astrup (left) of the University of Copenhagen and Dr. Aseem Malhotra (right), an NHS cardiologist, told MailOnline that the advice given by the advisory committee was "obsolete" and "incompetent"

"We provide strong evidence that it is foolish to treat saturated fats in one group because there are several saturated fatty acids with very different biological effects.

"And more importantly: the effect depends on the food source in which it exists – the effect of saturated fat is altered by all the other nutrients contained in the food matrix.

"So we should stop talking about saturated fat to the public and talk about food."

SACN said the British still receive about 12% of their daily energy intake of saturated fat, which is "higher than recommended."

Its recommendations were established in 1994 and suggest a daily limit of 10% – 200 to 250 calories compared to the intake of 2,000 to 2,500 kcal from the average adult.

The new SACN review is the first since this orientation 25 years ago and has reviewed 47 reviews of other scientific studies published since that time.

Panel experts are concerned that too much saturated fat increases the risk of heart problems because it is known to increase cholesterol and potentially accumulate in blood vessels.

The accumulation of fat in the veins and arteries can shrink them, increase blood pressure and force the heart to work harder to get the same amount of blood throughout the body.

In the UK, about 7.4 million people have heart disease that kills about 170,000 people each year and another 36,000 die from a stroke.

Biscuits, cakes, pastries, cheese, milk and meat are the main sources of saturated fat and should be consumed in smaller quantities, officials said.

Louis Levy, a professor at Public Health England, said: "We recommend eating fewer and smaller amounts of foods high in saturated fat and replacing them with unsaturated fats in order to achieve a healthy and healthy diet. balanced.

"We must all act, but manufacturers, suppliers and food processors have a responsibility to help people do it."

However, Dr. Astrup added that selecting fats could change at least partially healthy foods to worse foods simply because they do not contain saturated fats.

He said: "The advice could have a negative effect because people tend to forget nutrient-rich foods (yogurts, eggs and cheese) and replace them with refined carbohydrates, which increases the risk of disease."

Dr. Malhotra, a cardiologist in the UK, told MailOnline: "The SACN committee again revealed a flagrant incompetence in its opinion on saturated fat intake as a risk for heart disease.

"The overall evidence does not reveal any adverse effects on the cholesterol profile, but some types of saturated dietary fat are badociated with fewer heart disease.

"They would do a lot more service to the public by advising them to eat whole foods while reducing ultra-processed foods, which now make up half of the British diet."

The British Heart Foundation confirmed the SACN's decision stating that people would do well to reduce their intake of saturated fats.

Tracy Parker, an experienced dietician, said: "This report confirms that it is important to follow existing recommendations, according to which we do not derive more than 10% of our dietary energy from saturated fats.

"Exchanging foods high in saturated fats – such as butter, cheese, and fatty meat – for foods that contain more unsaturated fats – such as fatty fish, nuts, and seeds – can help lower cholesterol levels." , a risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases.

"Research has shown that it is important to badyze your diet as a whole rather than eating specific foods or nutrients.

"The Mediterranean diet can help you keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke."

What should a balanced diet look like?

Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS.

• Consume at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count

• Meals with potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This amounts to eating all of the following foods: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole wheat cereal cookies, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread and large baked potatoes with the skin.

• Ask dairy products or dairy substitutes (such as soy beverages) to choose less fat and less sugary options

• Eat beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish a week, one of which must be oily)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small quantities

• Drink 6-8 cups / glbades of water a day

• Adults should consume less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day.

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide