According to nutrition scientists, "eat less saturated fat" may not be the best dietary message to promote.

For many years, however, we have been telling people to limit their fat intake, especially saturated fats in foods like cheese, butter, and fatty meat. But recent studies published in reputable journals fueled a "Great Fat Debate" that was held at the American Dietetic Association's annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo last fall. Last month, transcripts from this debate were published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.¹

The debate stemmed from several recent studies. First was an analysis that included 21 separate studies and almost 350,000 subjects on the effect of saturated fat on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks.² Researchers concluded that insufficient evidence (from the studies they looked at) exists to presume that saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke. Another study that followed 322 obese individuals for 2 years on either a low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carbohydrate diet showed that individuals on the low-carbohydrate diet ate the most saturated fatty acids, had the healthiest HDL-to-LDL (good-to-bad cholesterol) ratio, and lost twice as much weight as the low-fat group.³ And yet another study that pooled 11 studies on the effects of replacing saturated fats with different types of carbohydrates, concluded that replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates actually increased the risk of coronary (heart) events!⁴

During the Great Fat Debate, four well-knowing nutrition scientists discussed the two sides of the controversy:

1. Processed, highly refined carbohydrates, which often replace fat in the diet, may have a greater (negative) impact on heart disease than saturated fat. Telling people to cut out saturated fats results in them eating more carbohydrates, many of which are refined and increase heart disease risk factors like triglycerides and low HDL (good) cholesterol.
2. The number of lives saved by the reduction in saturated fats from Americans' diets (due somewhat to public health recommendations to limit saturated fat) is highly significant and saturated fatty acids are clearly linked to increases in cholesterol, an excellent marker of heart disease risk.

While the scientists expressed differences on certain points regarding the studies, fat intake, and dietary guidance, there was general agreement on the following points:

• Total fat intake is not as important as type of fats 
• Replacing saturated fats with healthy poly and mono unsaturated fats is beneficial for health and CVD
• Trans fats are unhealthy and should be kept to a minimum because they decrease HDL (good) cholesterol and increase total cholesterol
• Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial and should be included in the diet at least twice each week
• Instead of advocating for a low-fat or low-saturated fat diet, practitioners should encourages calorie balance and eating more healthful fats from the food groups

So what are the take-aways for you?

• Use liquid vegetable oils (unsaturated fats) whenever possible
• When solid fats are needed, use only trans fat-free products
• Eat the amount of calories that are right for you and emphasize reducing starch, sugar, and refined carbohydrates - not healthy fats
• Consume fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and intact carbohydrates instead of refined, sugary carbohydrates
• Saturated fats should not viewed as good for you; yet, in the context of a healthy, calorie-balanced diet, there is room for saturated fats
• Low-fat diets are not necessarily healthy, especially if they include refined carbohydrates; however, a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet can be heart healthy as long as the carbohydrates you choose are minimally processed
• Dietary patterns (the foods you eat over the course of a day and week) are more important than single dietary components (like fat or carbohydrate); a healthy dietary pattern includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meat, low-fat dairy, and vegetable oils

So instead of telling people "eat less saturated fat" you may say, "instead of a hamburger, order grilled fish" or "instead of that side of french fries or mashed potatoes with butter try a green salad with Italian dressing."


¹Zelman, K. (2011). The great fat debate: a closer look at the controversy - questioning the validity of age-old dietary guidance. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(5), 655-658.

²Siri-Tarino, P.W., Sun, Q., & Hu, F.B. (2009). Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr, 91, 535-546.

³Shai, I., Schwarzfuchs, D., & Henkin, Y. (2008). Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med, 359, 229-241.

⁴Jakobsen, M.U., O'Reilly, E.J., & Heitmann, B.L. (2009). Major types of dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr, 89, 1425-1432.