high intake of fat not necessarily dangerous

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Issue 510

Study Fails to Link Saturated Fat, Heart Disease

The saturated fat found mainly in meat and dairy products has a bad

reputation, but a new analysis of published studies finds no clear link

between people's

intake of saturated fat and their risk of developing heart disease.

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Research has shown that saturated fat can raise blood levels of " bad " LDL

cholesterol, and elevated LDL is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Because

of this, experts generally advise people to limit their intake of fatty

meat, butter and full-fat dairy.

The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that adults get no more than 7

percent of their daily calories from the fat; for someone who eats 2,000

calories

a day, that translates into fewer than 16 grams of saturated fat per day.

But in the new analysis, which combined the results of 21 previous studies,

researchers found no clear evidence that higher saturated fat intakes led to

higher risks of heart disease or stroke.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may

sound like good news for steak lovers, but a past AHA president cautioned

against

" over interpreting " the results.

" No one is saying that some saturated fat is going to harm you...people

should enjoy their food, " said Dr. H. Eckel, a professor of medicine

at the

University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. But, he pointed out,

many studies have shown that dietary saturated fat can raise people's

cholesterol,

and the new analysis is not going to change recommendations to keep

saturated fat intake in check.

Perhaps more importantly, though, Eckel said that the thinking on diet and

heart health is moving away from a focus on single nutrients and toward

" dietary

patterns. "

A number of studies have linked the so-called Western diet to greater heart

disease risks; that diet pattern is defined as one high in red and processed

meats and saturated fats -- but also high in sweets and other refined

carbohydrates like white bread.

On the other hand, diets described as Mediterranean or " prudent " --

generally high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, unsaturated

fats from vegetable

oil -- may help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

It's that type of eating pattern that people should strive for, Eckel said.

For the current study, researchers led by Dr. M. Krauss, of the

Children's Hospital Oakland Research Center in California, pooled data from

21 studies

that included a total of nearly 348,000 adults. Participants, who were

generally healthy to start, were surveyed about their diet habits and then

followed

for anywhere from five to 23 years. Over that time, 11,000 developed heart

disease or suffered a stroke.

Overall, Krauss and his colleagues found, there was no difference in the

risks of heart disease and stroke between people with the lowest and highest

intakes

of saturated fat.

The analysis included what are known as epidemiological studies -- where the

researchers looked for associations between people's reported diet habits

and

their risk of heart disease and stroke. These types of studies have inherent

limitations, for instance, depending on people's recollection of their

eating

habits.

In addition, the study could not address whether saturated fat intake has

different effects on heart disease and stroke risk for different age groups.

Nor

could it look at the effects of replacing saturated fat in the diet with

polyunsaturated fats -- like those found in vegetable oils and fish -- or

with

carbohydrates.