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Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Randy
Saturated fat, a type of fat that is solid at room temperature, can be found in some plant foods (for example, tropical plant oils like coconut oil), and many animal foods such as dairy products, eggs, and meat. Eggs also contain cholesterol, which worsens the effects of the saturated fat. Cutting down on animal products and eating a plant-based diet may help in reducing saturated fat and cholesterol intake.
Saturated fat is considered harmful to health. Studies have shown that high saturated fat intake may raise the risk of:
Restricting saturated fat intake is a key part of the Swank diet, which has been used to help successfully treat many Multiple Sclerosis cases. Similarly, the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with lower cancer risk, has low amounts of saturated fat. One study found that for men who had their prostates removed for cancer, cutting down on saturated animal fat improved chances of cancer-free survival. In one breast cancer survival study, women who ate the most saturated fat after diagnosis increased the risk of dying by 41%.
Research suggests that swapping 1% of saturated fat calories in our diet for any other macronutrient can add nearly a whole year of aging length onto our telomeres. A low saturated diet, even for children, can help boost arterial function. Workplace programs in which, as one action, participants cut saturated fat intake, have seen positive results, including weight and cholesterol loss, as well as better blood sugar control in diabetics.
The meat, dairy, and egg industries have funded studies and undertaken campaigns designed to give the public the mistaken idea that foods with saturated fat are not harmful. At the Federal government level, though, the potential harm of saturated fat has been noted in the U.S. dietary guidelines starting with the first release in 1977. In 1980, the Guidelines directly stated that saturated fat should be avoided, and in 2010 they recommended reducing intake of saturated fat. In Finland, the use of science-based dietary guidelines for reducing saturated fat intake resulted in an 80% drop in cardiac mortality across the entire country.
The effects of coconut oil are compared to butter and tallow. Even if virgin coconut oil and other saturated fats raise LDL “bad” cholesterol, isn’t that countered by the increase in HDL “good” cholesterol?
Are there unique benefits to brown rice that would justify keeping it in our diet despite the arsenic content?
Do the health benefits of rice consumption outweigh any potential risk from the arsenic contamination?
The “Fairness Doctrine” example shows to what extent the purveyors of unhealthy products will go to keep the truth from the American public.
Vitamin C pitted head-to-head against antibiotics for bacterial vaginal infections.
Selecting foods to improve pelvic blood flow and decrease inflammation both long-term and immediately after a meal may improve sexual functioning in men and women.
Two ways in which salt may drive autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, type I diabetes, Sjögren’s syndrome, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Miso is packed with sodium, which is linked to both stomach cancer and high blood pressure, so is miso safe to consume?
An extraordinary thing happened when those at high risk for heart disease were randomized to give blood—and it had nothing to do with their heart.
Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are caused by a drop in insulin sensitivity blamed on “intramyocellular lipid,” the buildup of fat inside our muscle cells.
Increasing the cost of cigarettes through tobacco taxes is one of the most effective ways to decrease the harms of smoking—so, what does the science say about sodium, sugar, and saturated fat taxes?
Does a cancer-causing herpes virus in chickens pose a public health threat?