Saturated vs Unsaturated fat, which is better? Are saturated fat foods healthy or harmful? The science on saturated vs unsaturated fat foods, the controversies and the exceptions.

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Saturated vs unsaturated fat, let's make sense of fats!

Saturated fat is concentrated in animal foods and some plant products like coconut oil while Unsaturated fat is concentrated in plants.

Saturated fat raises cholesterol levels. But does it cause heart disease?
Classical studies linked saturated fat and heart disease, so saturated fat was widely seen as a problem until a media storm a few years ago. Was saturated fat fine after all?

In 2 studies, people eating less saturated fat had just as much cardiovascular disease. So maybe saturated fat is not a factor?

Harvard study: People who eat less saturated fat and more unsaturated fat instead have lower risk. Those who eat more whole grains instead also had lower risk. But refined grains were no better than saturated fat.

But maybe they eat less saturated fat, less cheese and meat and also smoke less and exercise more. How do we know the saturated fat has anything to do with them being healthier? A brand new study found people told to eat less saturated fat have less cardiovascular disease. It wasn’t clear which food replacements were best but less saturated fat led to less risk. They found no harmful effects of reducing saturated fat.
Saturated fat always raises emotions. I used to eat a lot more saturated fat and gradually adapted. Others might make a different decision.

This means favoring unprocessed plant foods which are low in saturated vs unsaturated fats. Fish is also a wise choice due to the balance of saturated vs unsaturated fat. Some types of saturated fat are worse than others. We covered dietary patterns low in saturated fat and high in unsaturated fats in previous videos.

References:
saturated fat and serum cholesterol:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

AHA Advisory: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/...

the 2 studies that generated the media storm and appear at 1st glance to show no harm of saturated fat (subsequent studies clarify this misunderstanding):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24723...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20071...

Harvard study clarifying which foods saturated fat must be replaced with to lower risk (explains misunderstanding generated by the 2 meta-analyses above; risk is lowered when saturated fat is replaced by unsaturated fat or whole carbs, but not refined carbs; no significant difference is seen when substitutions are all lumped together as in the 2 above studies): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

meta-analysis of randomized trials (Cochrane): https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/...

stearic acid doesn't raise LDL-c: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article...

chocolate and risk:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/7/688

Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

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