The Confusing Relationship between Saturated Fat Intake and Risk

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The effect of saturated fat intake on cardiovascular disease is not a straight line, but rather an S-shaped curve. At low levels of saturated fat intake, there is not much effect on risk. However, as the intake gradually increases, there is an abrupt jump in risk to a high level, which remains constant with further increases in saturated fat intake. This pattern can lead to confusion when comparing populations with different levels of saturated fat intake. Only when comparing high to low or high-ish to low-ish intake do we see a significant difference in risk. Therefore, it is important to consider the active range of the distribution when studying the impact of saturated fat on health.

Episode #243. It’s time to face the facts on saturated fat. Dr Gil Carvalho returns to examine a bold new study on this controversial topic, breaking down whether you need to reconsider your food choices in the wake of this study’s release.

We discuss:

Intro (00:00)
Saturated fat misunderstandings: Is saturated fat bad? (17:20)
Principle 1: Dose matters? — How much saturated fat is too much? (22:07)
Is no saturated fat the goal? (30:12)
Principle 2: Replacement nutrient matters (31:54)
Principle 3: Source matters (45:53)
Mechanisms: Saturated fat and heart disease (50:48)
Saturated fats and genetics (55:47)
Target ApoB level (59:40)
Importance of lifetime exposure (1:03:02)
Statins and heart disease risk: Are statins bad for you? (1:08:53)
Mendelian randomization studies (1:10:52)
The totality of evidence (1:15:59)
Saturated fats and total mortality (1:17:46)
Saturated fat and liver health (1:19:51)
Gaps in the research (1:20:43)
Common arguments against lowering saturated fat (1:23:52)
Outro (1:38:36)

To explore more of Dr Gil Carvalho’s work, you can find him on YouTube. You can also connect with him on Twitter and Facebook, and listen to our previous conversation in Episode #207.

Discover more insights and supporting studies in the full show notes.

Enjoy, friends.

Simon

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)

Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill

Author of The Proof is in the Plants

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