scholarly journals Coconuts and Health: Different Chain Lengths of Saturated Fats Require Different Consideration

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Susan Hewlings
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Medium Chain ◽  
Saturated Fats ◽  
Saturated Fat Intake ◽  
Chain Fatty Acids

The diet heart hypothesis has driven nutrition recommendations and policy for decades. Recent studies have questioned the hypothesis and sparked great controversy over the assumed connection between saturated fat intake and heart disease. Recent evidence suggests that dietary patterns should be the focus of dietary recommendations, not any one food or nutrient. Furthermore, to classify foods as simply saturated fat, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats is to ignore the many other potential nutrients and health benefits. Coconut is classified as a saturated fat and therefore listed as a food to limit to reduce heart disease risk. However, different saturated fats, medium-chain or long-chain, act differently metabolically and thus have different health effects. The medium-chain fatty acids predominate in coconut are absorbed differently and have been associated with several health benefits, including improvements in cognitive function and a more favorable lipid profile compared to longer chain fatty acids. Coconuts provide a healthful source of saturated fats and should not be considered the same as foods with longer chain saturated fats. Future recommendations should take this research into consideration. It is the purpose of this review to discuss the research regarding the connection between saturated fat intake, specifically coconut consumption, and health, while focusing on dietary patterns and lifestyle behaviors.

scholarly journals Dietary Saturated Fats and Health: Are the U.S. Guidelines Evidence-Based?

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3305
Author(s):  
Arne Astrup ◽  
Nina Teicholz ◽  
Faidon Magkos ◽  
Dennis M. Bier ◽  
J. Thomas Brenna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Food Matrix ◽  
Saturated Fats ◽  
Dietary Guidelines For Americans ◽  
Saturated Fat Intake

The last decade has seen nearly 20 papers reviewing the totality of the data on saturated fats and cardiovascular outcomes, which, altogether, have demonstrated a lack of rigorous evidence to support continued recommendations either to limit the consumption of saturated fatty acids or to replace them with polyunsaturated fatty acids. These papers were unfortunately not considered by the process leading to the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the country’s national nutrition policy, which recently reconfirmed its recommendation to limit saturated fats to 10% or less of total energy intake, based on insufficient and inconsistent evidence. Continuation of a cap on saturated fat intake also fails to consider the important effects of the food matrix and the overall dietary pattern in which saturated fatty acids are consumed.

Abstract MP006: Plasma and Erythrocyte Biomarkers of Dairy Fat Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men

Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasanti S Malik ◽  
Hongyu Wu ◽  
Frank B Hu ◽  
Qi Sun
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Blood Draw ◽  
Dairy Fat ◽  
Odd Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Chain Fatty Acids

Introduction: Intake of dairy products have been postulated to be associated with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) because of their high saturated fat content, however studies examining this relation have yielded inconsistent results. Given the widespread consumption of dairy products, further evaluation of this controversial topic using biological markers of dairy fat intake is warranted. Objective: To evaluate plasma and erythrocyte odd chain fatty acids and certain trans isomers as biomarkers of dairy fat intake and assess their relation to risk of CHD in US men. Methods: We conducted a case-control study nested within the Health Professionals Follow-up study among 18,140 men who provided blood samples between 1993 and 1994. From baseline to 2008, four hundred and fifty-nine cases of CHD were ascertained and matched with 879 controls for age, smoking, fasting status and date of blood draw. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for CHD. Results: Among controls, we identified certain fatty acids that were significantly correlated with dairy fat intake: the correlation coefficients between average dairy fat intake in 1986–1994 and 15:0, 17:0, 19:0, 23:0 and trans 16:1n−7 were 0.27, 0.24, 0.10, 0.22 and 0.31 respectively for plasma and 0.25, 0.21, 0.05, 0.21 and 0.30 respectively for erythrocytes. In multivariate analyses controlling for matching factors and other diet and lifestyle risk factors, men with higher plasma concentrations of 15:0 had a significantly greater risk of CHD (RR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.43, p trend: 0.02, comparing extreme tertiles of plasma 15:0). Associations with other biomarkers were not significant in multivariate analyses and associations were generally weaker in erythrocytes. Conclusions: These data confirm that certain odd chain fatty acids and trans 16:1n−7 may be used as biomarkers of dairy fat intake and suggest that a high intake of dairy fat is associated with an elevated risk of CHD.

scholarly journals A Half-Truth is Not the Whole Truth: The AHA Position on Saturated Fat

KIMIKA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Fabian M. Dayrit
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
American Heart ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Coconut Oil ◽  
Medium Chain ◽  
Medium Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Metabolic Properties ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Chain Fatty Acids

This second in this series of papers will present the biases in the American Heart Association’s 2017 Presidential Advisory with respect to saturated fat. Although important differences in the metabolic properties of specific SFA have been known since the 1960s, the AHA still considers all SFA as one group having the same properties. There is abundant research available that supports the designation of C6 to C12 fatty acids as medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). This is particularly relevant to coconut oil, which is made up of about 65% MCFA. Ignoring the evidence, AHA simply labels coconut oil as SFA. The AHA promotes half-truths, not the whole truth.

Evidence favours an association between saturated fat intake and coronary heart disease

BMJ ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 347 (nov19 20) ◽  
pp. f6851-f6851 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Mann ◽  
R. McLean ◽  
L. Te Morenga
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Saturated Fat Intake

scholarly journals High-sensitivity c-reactive protein and total and saturated fat intake in adolescent students: a longitudinal study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Cândida de Lima Martins ◽  
Flávia Emília Leite de Lima Ferreira ◽  
Aléssio Tony Cavalcanti de Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Saturated Fats ◽  
Fat Consumption ◽  
Hs Crp ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Saturated Fat Intake

AbstractObjectiveThe present study aimed to assess the relationship between hs-CRP concentrations and total and saturated fat intake in adolescents after a year of follow-up.MethodsA longitudinal study carried out in the years 2014 and 2015 evaluated 408 adolescents from the municipal and state public schools of João Pessoa, Paraíba, between 10 and 14 years of age, who participated in the Longitudinal Study on Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity, Eating Habits and Adolescent Health (LONCAAFS). Data were obtained on sociodemographic data, anthropometric nutritional status, physical activity and hs-CRP concentration. The consumption of total and saturated fats was evaluated from the 24 hour recall.ResultsThe associations between concentrations of hs-CRP and total and saturated fat intake were performed by linear regression considering panel data, individual fixed effect, balanced bank, stratified by sex and BMI. The mean values of the hs-CRP variable were significantly different between the analyzed years (p = 0.024). The percentage of total and saturated fat consumption is within the recommended level in both years, with no significant difference (p> 0.05). No statistically significant associations were found between hs-CRP and total fat consumption (β = −0.19p = 0.582) and saturated fat (β = 0.20, p = 0.282).ConclusionThe study did not present significant evidence on the relationship between the concentrations of hs-CRP and the consumption of total and saturated fats, as one year of follow-up may not have promoted evident changes in the levels of hs-CRP in adolescents.

scholarly journals Saturated fat intake in Minsk (Belarus), a high-risk area for heart disease

The Lancet ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 344 (8927) ◽  
pp. 963-964
Author(s):  
J.A. Bijlsma ◽  
T.W.A. de Bruin ◽  
D.W. Erkelens ◽  
M.B. Katan
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Risk Area ◽  
High Risk Area ◽  
Saturated Fat Intake
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document