Amongst the categories of dietary fats fall saturated fats. Saturated fats are similar to trans fat and are perceived to be unhealthy fats at room temperature; the saturated fats take a solid form. Foods such as lean meat, cheese, coconut oil, palm oil, and butter are high in saturated fat. Higher percentages of saturated fat in one’s meal may cause health problems such as heart diseases. 

Saturated fat is harmful to a person’s health and poses a risk of heart diseases (you can eat). Someone’s body requires healthy fats to generate energy and to perform further bodily functions. However, if one ingests an excessive amount of saturated fat, cholesterol may build up in their blood vessels (the arteries). Saturated fat increases LDL (bad cholesterol). Higher levels of bad cholesterol increase the risk of heart diseases as well as stroke.

Cutting back on foods high in fat helps control weight and maintain a healthy heart. Maintaining a healthy weight may lower one’s exposure to risks, including heart diseases, diabetes, and additional health difficulties (BetterHealthChannel). A large study published by the BMJ shows that the consumption of major saturated fatty acids increases exposure to coronary heart illnesses (The BMJ, 2016). Unsaturated fats, whole grain carbohydrates, or vegetable proteins should be used in place of these fatty acids as part of effective preventive measures.

 Research results show that consuming main saturated fatty acids (for instance, the type contained in chocolate, beef, butter, whole milk, and hard cheese) increases the risk of coronary heart diseases. Using energy equivalent of polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, whole-grain carbohydrate, or plant protein to replace 1% of the total energy usage of these main saturated fatty acids is heart-friendly. This can reduce the risk of heart diseases by 6-8% (AAAS & EurekAlert!, 2016).

“As an effective way to prevent coronary heart disease, dietary recommendations are to replace total saturated fat with unsaturated fat or whole-grain carbohydrates,” Harvard University researchers said. Limiting the saturated fats found in butter, cheese, saturated lean meats, and other foods of animal origin is the way to go. Decades of solid science have proven that saturated fat can raise your “bad” cholesterol and increase your risk of heart diseases (AHA). 

One of the main reasons it is recommended to minimize saturated fat intake is that saturated fat intake can amplify several risk factors for coronary illnesses, including low-density lipoprotein (harmful cholesterol). Nevertheless, this matter is not definite. It is agreed upon that saturated fat generally enhances identified risk factors for coronary illnesses, but there exists no final confirmation which states that saturated fat raises the risk of coronary diseases.

 Ingesting saturated fat may amplify risk factors for coronary illness, but it does not increase coronary illness itself. Various experiments have illustrated that consuming saturated fat can increase risk factors for heart disease, such as low-density lipoprotein (harmful cholesterol) and apolipoprotein B (apo B). Low-density lipoprotein transports cholesterol throughout one’s body. A higher Low-density lipoprotein particle count translates to a higher threat of coronary diseases. The LDL is mainly composed of the ApoB protein. The ApoB is taken to be a huge heart disease risk predictor (Ryoo et al., 2011). 

It has been highly speculated that the intake of saturated fats increases all of these threats while increasing the proportion of LDL (harmful) to HDL (beneficial) ratios, which is an additional threat for coronary illness (DiNicolantonio & O’Keefe, 2018). HDL has a cardioprotective effect, and low levels of this beneficial cholesterol increase the threat to coronary illnesses as well as cardiovascular complications. Nonetheless, while extensive studies have established an association between saturated fat consumption and risk factors for coronary illnesses, they have failed to establish a noteworthy association linking saturated fat intake and coronary illness. 

In addition, recent studies do not demonstrate considerable associations linking saturated fat ingestion and stroke or mortality. For instance, in a review of 32 experiments in 2014 (including 659,298 individuals), there was no noteworthy linkage between saturated fat ingestion and coronary illness (Chowdhury et al., 2014). A study in 2017conducted an average of 7.4 years to follow-up on 135,335 people in 18 countries established that saturated fat intake was not connected to stroke, heart disease, heart attack, and death associated with heart diseases (Dehghan et al., 2017). What’s more, the results of controlled trials that were randomized showed that the broad proposal to use polyunsaturated fats rich in omega-6s instead of saturated fats was not likely to reduce the threat of coronary illnesses and may increase disease evolution (Ramsden et al., 2010).

Conversely, inconsistent results have been found. This may be due to the great complexity of the subject and the shortcomings of the research design and methodologies available currently, thus stressing the requirement for research that is appropriately designed on the subject in the future (Heileson, 2020). Also, it is vital to realize the various saturated fat kinds, with each having unique health implications. Many studies on the effect of saturated fat on the threat of diseases generally deal with saturated fat, but this is also problematic.

A healthcare professional needs to be updated about the information, dates, and current trends in research are saying to establish other expert’s research, opinions, and views on a case (Betsch et al., 2012). As the Internet’s popularity is steadily growing, finding health information is faster and easier; thus, practitioners must be up to date with the current trends to provide the best care and feedback to their patients who may have accessed information that may not be valid (Cutilli, 2010). It is also important that the practitioners check sources so that they can keep their sharpness and find out outdated views and the new progress of matters (National Institutes of Health, 2011). 

The internet has availed all sorts of information to its users. This information is valid in some cases, but in others, it is misleading and can cause dire effects on the ones who adopt it. Therefore, it is important that people consult their doctors for clarification or learn ways to distinguish valid information from that which is unverified.

 

References

AAAS and EurekAlert!. (2016). High intake of saturated fats linked to increased coronary heart disease risk 

American Heart Association(AHA) editorial staff, n.d. Saturated Fat

Betsch, C., Brewer, N. T., Brocard, P., Davies, P., Gaissmaier, W., Haase, N., … & Stryk, M. (2012). Opportunities and challenges of Web 2.0 for vaccination decisions. Vaccine, 30(25), 3727-3733.

BetterHealthChannel. n.d. Diet and heart disease risk

Chowdhury, R., Warnakula, S., Kunutsor, S., Crowe, F., Ward, H. A., Johnson, L., … & Di Angelantonio, E. (2014). Association of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of internal medicine, 160(6), 398-406.

Cutilli, C. C. (2010). Seeking health information: what sources do your patients use? Orthopedic nursing, 29(3), 214-219.

Dehghan, M., Mente, A., & Mapanga, R. (2017). Articles: Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study. The Lancet, 6736(17), 1-13.

DiNicolantonio, J. J., & O’Keefe, J. H. (2018). Effects of dietary fats on blood lipids: a review of direct comparison trials. Open heart, 5(2). 

Heileson, J. L. (2020). Dietary saturated fat and heart disease: a narrative review. Nutrition reviews, 78(6), 474-485.

National Institutes of Health. (2011). How to evaluate health information on the Internet: questions and answers.

Ramsden, C. E., Hibbeln, J. R., Majchrzak, S. F., & Davis, J. M. (2010). n-6 fatty acid-specific and mixed polyunsaturate dietary interventions have different effects on CHD risk: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. British Journal of Nutrition, 104(11), 1586-1600.

Ryoo, J. H., Ha, E. H., Kim, S. G., Ryu, S., & Lee, D. W. (2011). Apolipoprotein B is highly associated with the risk of coronary heart disease as estimated by the Framingham risk score in healthy Korean men. Journal of Korean medical science, 26(5), 631.

The BMJ (2016). High intake of saturated fats is linked to increased risk of heart disease

you can Eat, H. M. Facts about saturated fats.