That’s not because butter is healthy.
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However, the source of trans fats in the diet may be important, said Russell de Souza, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
The findings have been published in the British Medical Journal and saw researchers looks at medical records from hundreds of thousands of patients.
The saturated fats found in meat and dairy produce are not as bad for health as previously believed, research has confirmed – but scientists have warned against gleefully reaching for the butter dish.
However, the certainty of associations between saturated fat and all outcomes was ‘very low, ‘ they noted.
“We suggest replacing foods high in these – such as high-fat or processed meats and donuts – with vegetable oils, nuts, and wholegrains”. People who ate saturated fats were no more likely to have heart disease or die than people who didn’t.
“The current guidelines need to be overhauled so people eat nutritious wholefoods and don’t count calories”. Yet today, two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese. “We will continue to recommend switching saturated fat for unsaturated fat, consistent with a traditional Mediterranean-style diet”. The FDA announced a plan this summer to nix all trans fats from store shelves by 2018.
But health campaigners have now demanded an urgent review of guidelines which have not been updated for years.
But the government still hasn’t completely caught up with the science, Ludwig said. “In the UK, industry action to remove these fats from manufactured foods means that our intakes are already below the recommended maximum of 2 per cent of food energy”.
“The message is simple – just eat real food”. The NIH program puts whole milk in the most restricted category as cookies, doughnuts and French fries, to be consumed only “once in a while”.
Trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil and can be found in fast food, frozen pizza, margarine and packaged baked goods among other foods. She urges people to choose “fats with benefits”, such as those found in almonds, salmon or avocados.
The team’s saturated fat analysis involved 41 studies conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada, China, Greece and Australia.
Is butter not as bad as we thought? Taub-Dix asked.
Despite this, experts are not yet suggesting healthy eating guidelines are changed. Some biscuits, buns, cakes, pastries, margarines and spreads made using partially hydrogenated fats and oils may still contain them, as well as chips, burgers, kebabs and meat pies.
Public Health England said excessive quantity was the key problem regarding health and fat.
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Ms Barry said the Australian Heart Foundation would continue to campaign for more-stringent restriction on trans-fat foods and their clear labelling.
