A new study shows a possible link between eating saturated fat from meat and developing heart disease. The study authors focused their preliminary research on thisRisk of cardiovascular diseasein observational studies, which was previously unclear. The study results are important because they provide a possible explanation for how this relationship may vary depending on food source.
How saturated fat affects heart health
The scientists found that saturated fat from meat may be associated with a higher risk than other food sources. However, this is partly because those who consumed large amounts of meat also had a higher body mass index (BMI). Consuming higher amounts of saturated fat is associated with increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol. Accordingly, this increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there is some evidence that different types of foods high in saturated fat, particularly meat and dairy products, may have different associations with cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the study authors examined how saturated fat from various foods is linked to ischemic heart disease, stroke and overall cardiovascular disease. Researchers followed participants for about 8.5 years using information from linked hospital and death registries to find out whether they developed cardiovascular disease.
The study results show that differences in KMI are partly responsible for the connection between cardiovascular disease and saturated fatty acids. Furthermore, it was difficult to analyze whether part of this effect was due to higher LDL cholesterol levels in the cohort. The study authors believe that the recommendations of the dietary guidelines should be followed. These include consuming less than 10% of daily energy from saturated fat. The study results also highlight the importance of examining different dietary sources of saturated fat when studying the risk of cardiovascular disease. The should ensure that these observations are not due to dietary or non-dietary factorsthis studyare not entirely clear, based.
