More data on specific dietary fats and mortality comes from a long-term study that used 83,349 women from the Nurses’ Health Study and 42,884 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study to examine this relationship. Replacing 5% of energy from saturated fats with equivalent energy from PUFA and MUFA was associated with estimated reductions in total mortality of 27% and 13%, respectively. The study authors concluded that their findings support current dietary recommendations to replace saturated fat and trans-fat with unsaturated fats.
The bottom line on saturated fat consumption We know that almost all diets that have been shown to be heart-healthy are low in
trans and saturated fats and emphasize whole plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and nuts that have unsaturated fats. Consumption of trans-fats should be as close to zero as possible.
The advice of the American Heart Association is to strive for a diet with only 5% to 6% of total calories derived
from saturated fat and replace the calories with high-quality carbohydrates such as whole grains or with polyunsaturated fats. Replacing saturated fats with the refined carbohydrates and added sugars, found in the typical American diet, will not decrease
CVD risk. So, if polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats should replace trans and saturated fats, does total fat matter at all? It may. The case for ultra-low-fat diets is presented in a following blog on rating diets
This blog presents opinions and ideas and is intended to provide helpful general information. I am not engaged in rendering advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures and suggestions in that are presented are not in any way a substitute for the advice and care of the reader’s own physician or other medical professional based on the reader’s own individual conditions, symptoms or concerns. If the reader needs personal medical, health, dietary, exercise or other assistance or advice the reader should consult a physician and/or other qualified health professionals. The author specifically disclaims all responsibility for any injury, damage or loss that the reader may incur as a direct or indirect consequence of following any directions or suggestions given in this blog or participating in any programs described in this blog or in the book, The Building Blocks of Health––How to Optimize Your Health with a Lifestyle Checklist (available in print or downloaded at Amazon, Apple). Copyright 2021 by J. Joseph Speidel.
Recent Comments