“Based on medical and our own research, we can conclude that the intake of saturated fat (butter, palm and coconut oil and lard) poses no risk to our health and particularly to the heart”, the Credit Suisse report said.
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But the real reason, according to the authors of the present study, could very well be that the type of fat and carbohydrates used to replace the saturated fats affects the risk of coronary heart disease differently.
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Now, Harvard scientists claim to have found evidence which undermines the recent research – and say people should steer clear of saturated fat after all.
Dr. Hruby: Our main observation is that saturated fat intake is not benign when it comes to heart disease. On the other hand, those who had preferred whole-grain carbohydrates and unsaturated fats (vegetable oil, nuts, fish) reported a lower incidence of cardiovascular issues.
Luckily, registered dietitian-nutritionist Karen Ansel, co-author of The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life tells Yahoo Health that it’s easy enough to replace the saturated fats and refined carbs in your diet with more heart-healthy options.
“Our findings suggest that when patients are making lifestyle changes to their diets, cardiologists should encourage the consumption of unsaturated fats like vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds, as well as healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains.”
This was an observational study that investigated the associations between saturated fat (such as butter, cheese and whipped cream) compared with the intake of unsaturated fat (such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil and walnuts) and different sources of carbohydrates, and the risk of developing heart disease. But there was no change in heart disease risk for those who replaced 5% of saturated fat with refined carbohydrates, like starches.
Over a follow-up period of 24 to 30 years, there were 7,667 cases of heart disease (4,931 non-fatal heart attacks and 2,736 deaths from heart disease). Which means they’re probably delicious, like most bad-for-you food is – but what you replace those saturated fats with matters. For example, as people dropped the number of calories they ate each day from saturated fat, Hu and his team could see that the participants replaced these fats with carbohydrates: particularly refined carbohydrates that are more easily transferred into fat. They looked at 84,628 women in the Nurses’ Health Study from 1980 to 2010 and 42,908 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 to 2010.
Instead, they should consume healthier fats like extra virgin olive oil, and unprocessed carbs, like whole-grain cereal and bread, brown pasta or rice, quinoa, millet and bulgur.
The findings are detailed in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
It doesn’t take much to cut the damage done by unhealthy fats. This according to a recent study out of Harvard’s School of Public Health.
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In addition, the study also supports the elimination of junk food high in carbohydrates such as potato chips (which is also high in SFAs and trans-fats) and soda beverages. “Starting with more familiar healthy carbohydrates, such as fruit, oatmeal, beans and whole-wheat bread can make the transition easier”. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
