Saturated fats may not be so bad for our health after all

De Souza’s study found that consuming industrial trans fats was associated with a 34-per cent increase in death for any reason, a 28-per cent risk of chronic heart disease death and a 21-per cent increase in chronic heart disease.

To help clarify these controversies, researchers in Canada analysed the results of observational studies assessing the association between saturated and/or trans fats and health outcomes in adults.

In another reversal of claims that saturated fats were killing people and their replacement, trans fats, were healthier, another study has found that saturated fats are not associated with an increased risk of death, heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes. Eating more trans fats is linked to coronary heart disease, while eating saturated fats is not.

“Industrially produced” trans fats, which are man-made fats added to foods such as shortening and baked goods, appear to be more harmful than “ruminant” trans fats, which naturally occur in smaller amounts in foods such as butter and beef, de Souza told Live Science.

Russell de Souza, a dietician and epidemiologist from McMaster University, and his colleagues sifted through the published studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants on trans and saturated fats and their health effects.

More research on saturated fats is needed, and trans fats should be totally avoided in the diet, Chowdhury said.

Reducing saturated fat does reduce the risk of heart attacks, however, if people replace their milk shakes and cheese burgers with healthier foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, or with polyunsaturated fats, which are found in olive oil, sunflower seeds and other foods, the analysis found.

Trans fats were originally created in the early 1900s as a cheap, shelf stable alternative to products like butter.

At present, dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat consumption to less than 10% of daily energy intake to reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke.

But they didn’t find the same clear associations for saturated fats. However, the consumption of trans fats was associated with a 21% increase in risk of CHD, a 28% increase in death due to CHD and a 34% increase in death due to any cause.

No, providing you eat it in moderation, like any other kind of nutritious food. Some biscuits, buns, cakes, pastries, margarines and spreads made using partially hydrogenated fats and oils may still contain them, as well as chips, burgers, kebabs and meat pies. Data from these studies revealed that total trans-fat intake was significantly associated with all-cause mortality, CHD mortality, and total CHD but not ischemic or type 2 diabetes.

The findings are the latest in a line of studies to suggest that saturated fats may not pose as much of a risk as previously believed.

“Memory-based dietary recall is subject to substantial bias particularly for food items seen to be good or bad with under-reporting becoming more prevalent among those who are obese”, Professor Sanders said.