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.

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 Dairy Fat Consumption and the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: An Examination of the Saturated Fatty Acids in Dairy

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Unger ◽  
Torres-Gonzalez ◽  
Kraft
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
The Body ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Dairy Consumption ◽  
The Impact

Lifestyle is a key modifiable risk factor involved in the manifestation of metabolic syndrome and, in particular, diet plays a pivotal role in its prevention and development. Current dietary guidelines discourage the consumption of saturated fat and dietary sources rich in saturated fat, such as dairy products, despite data suggesting that full-fat dairy consumption is protective against metabolic syndrome. This narrative review assessed the recent epidemiological and clinical research that examined the consumption of dairy-derived saturated fatty acids (SFA) on metabolic syndrome risk. In addition, this review evaluated studies of individual SFA to gain insight into the potential mechanisms at play with intake of a diet enriched with these dairy-derived fatty acids. This work underscores that SFA are a heterogenous class of fatty acids that can differ considerably in their biological activity within the body depending on their length and specific chemical structure. In summary, previous work on the impact of dairy-derived SFA consumption on disease risk suggests that there is currently insufficient evidence to support current dietary guidelines which consolidate all dietary SFA into a single group of nutrients whose consumption should be reduced, regardless of dietary source, food matrix, and composition.

scholarly journals Dietary fat intake in healthy adolescents: inverse relationships between the estimated intake of saturated fatty acids and serum cholesterol

2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gösta Samuelson ◽  
Lars-Erik Bratteby ◽  
Rawya Mohsen ◽  
Bengt Vessby
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Serum Cholesterol ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Fatty Acids ◽  
Cholesterol Esters ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
A Chain ◽  
The One

The objective of the present study was to describe the intake of dietary fatty acids among healthy 15-year-old boys and girls and to relate the intake of specific fatty acids and the fatty acid composition of the serum cholesterol esters to serum lipid, apolipoprotein (Apo) and insulin concentrations respectively. Fifty-two girls and forty-two boys were randomly selected from the official population register. Unexpectedly, significant inverse associations were found between the dietary content of saturated fatty acids with a chain length of four to fifteen C atoms, mainly derived from milk fat, as well as the corresponding fatty acids in the serum cholesterol esters, on the one hand and the serum concentrations of cholesterol and ApoB on the other. The estimated dietary intake of 4:0–10:0, 12:0 and 14:0 respectively, were all significantly inversely related to the serum cholesterol (r-0.32,r-0.31,r-0.30, all P<0.05) and ApoB (r-0.42,r-0.42, andr-0.40, all P<0.05) concentrations in girls and 12:0 to the ApoB concentration (r-0.55, P<0.01) in boys. The proportions of 12:0 and 15:0 in the serum cholesterol esters were negatively correlated with the serum cholesterol concentrations in both girls (r-0.34,r-0.32, P<0.05) and boys (r-0.53, P<0.01;r-0.32, P<0.05) and with the ApoB concentrations among boys (r-0.61, P<0.01;r-0.43, P<0.05). It is conceivable that milk fat contains or is associated with some component in the diet, or some other characteristics of the food intake, which counterbalances the expected positive relationships between saturated fat intake and lipid levels.

Animal fats and human health

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 ◽  
pp. 214-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Salter
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Plasma Cholesterol ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Central Target ◽  
Animal Fats ◽  
Obesity And Diabetes ◽  
Total Fat

In 1991 it was recommended that total fat intake in the UK should be reduced to a population average of less that 33% of total daily energy intake and that saturated fatty acids should contribute no more than 10% of total energy (Department of Health, 1991). A further recommendation was that the intake of trans fatty acids should not exceed 2% of total energy. These recommendations were made primarily on the basis of the influence of fatty acids on plasma cholesterol and thereby on the development of cardiovascular disease. While associations of fat intake with other chronic diseases such as cancer, obesity and diabetes have also been suggested, it was felt that there was insufficient evidence to make specific recommendations on the basis of such claims. A reduction in saturated fat intake has remained a central target of public health nutrition within the United Kingdom ever since. Despite concerted efforts, particularly throughout the 1990s., to achieve these targets little progress has been made. In 2000, total fat intake remained at 38% and saturated fatty acid intake at 15% (DEFRA, 2001).

scholarly journals Recent national French food and nutrient intake data

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (S1) ◽  
pp. S57-S59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Volatier ◽  
Philippe Verger
Keyword(s):  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Dietary Survey ◽  
The North ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Food And Nutrient Intake ◽  
Saturated Fat Intake

In France, the first national dietary survey, called ASPCC, was done in 1993–1994. According to this survey, the mean fat intake in France is rather high, both for men (37.7 %) and women (40 %). Saturated fat intake is above 15 % of energy. The intake of fruit and vegetables is particularly low for younger people and manual workers. Fruit intake is also lower for people from the north of the country. These data show the necessity of a targeted nutritional policy in France. Therefore, public health authorities are determining new dietary guidelines. The fact that people with unsatisfactory nutritional status are often not concerned with nutrition proves the importance of simple understandable food-based dietary guidelines.

scholarly journals Energy under-reporting in Swedish and Irish dietary surveys: implications for food-based dietary guidelines

1999 ◽  
Vol 81 (S1) ◽  
pp. S127-S131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wulf Becker ◽  
Sharon Foley ◽  
Emer Shelley ◽  
Michael Gibney
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Dietary Survey ◽  
Eating Occasion ◽  
Dietary Surveys ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Swedish Data

An analysis of dietary survey data from Sweden and Ireland revealed that with a declining ratio of energy intake to estimated basal metabolic rate (EI : BMR), %energy from fat, saturated fat and carbohydrate fell while that of protein increased. However, where the definition of under-reporting is less strict, as in the Irish database (EI : BMR) < (1·27), the quantitative effect on macronutrient balance, while statistically significant, is not of such magnitude as to be of nutritional significance. However, with respect to foods, under-reporting was found to be of considerable significance in using such data to formulate food-based dietary guidelines. The Swedish data show that under-reporting of foods is associated with a decreasing percentage of consumers, decreasing intake per eating occasion and decreasing frequency of eating. The development of food-based dietary guidelines will involve comparisons of patterns of food intake among people with contrasting high or low intakes of target nutrients. The Swedish data compared food intakes for those with low or high intakes of saturated fatty acids (SFA) among under-reporters and acceptable reporters of energy intake. Whereas absolute values were always lower with the lower EI : BMR group (< 1·1) compared to the higher EI : BMR group (> 1·35) the ratio of intakes for the low vs. high SFA groups were broadly significant at either EI : BMR ratio. This paper highlights the difficulties that under-reporting will pose for food-based dietary guidelines.

Dietary Quality-Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines in Tehranian Adolescents: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirmiran ◽  
Azadbakht ◽  
Azizi
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Food Groups

The aim of this study was to determine the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score and its relation to intake of nutrients and the number of servings from each food group consumed by adolescents residing in district 13 of Tehran. This study, conducted within the framework of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), was a part of a dietary intake assessment carried out in 443 families, including 465 adolescents, aged 10–18 years, according to the Food Guide Pyramid and dietary guidelines on individuals residing in district 13 of Tehran. In this study, dietary intake was assessed with two-day 24-hour recalls. HEI was calculated based on nine components. The score range of each component was 0 to 10, the sum score of this index therefore being 90. The HEI score was categorized into three groups: less than 45 (poor diet), between 45–72 (needs improvement) and more than 72 (good diet). The mean score of HEI was 64.9 ± 9.6 in boys and 64.8 ± 9.4 in girls. The results showed that the number of servings of food groups in those with good diet was significantly higher than the two other groups (p < 0.05). In contrast the percent of saturated fat intake and cholesterol consumption in those with HEI _ 72 was lower than the other groups (p < 0.05). The approximate number of food items consumed and the total nutrient intake by adolescents with HEI score _ 72 was significantly higher than the others (p > 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between the number of servings of grains group (r = 0.1), vegetables (r = 0.4), fruits (r = 0.4), dairy (r = 0.3), meat (r = 0.1), and HEI (p < 0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between fat intake (r = -0.2, p < 0.001), percent of saturated fatty acids (r = –0.2, p < 0.05), cholesterol consumption (r = -0.4, p < 0.05), and the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (P/S) in diet (r = 0.2, p < 0.05), and HEI score. Seventy-four, 23, and 3% of diets were categorized into "needs improvement", "good", and "poor", respectively. In conclusion, the diets of most Tehranian adolescents need improvement, demonstrating the need for nutrition education in this age group.

scholarly journals Saturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease: Replacements for Saturated Fat to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Briggs ◽  
Kristina S. Petersen ◽  
Penny M. Kris-Etherton
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Dietary Recommendations ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Dairy Fat ◽  
Refined Carbohydrates

Dietary recommendations to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have focused on reducing intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) for more than 50 years. While the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise substituting both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids for SFA, evidence supports other nutrient substitutions that will also reduce CVD risk. For example, replacing SFA with whole grains, but not refined carbohydrates, reduces CVD risk. Replacing SFA with protein, especially plant protein may also reduce CVD risk. While dairy fat (milk, cheese) is associated with a slightly lower CVD risk compared to meat, dairy fat results in a significantly greater CVD risk relative to unsaturated fatty acids. As research continues, we will refine our understanding of dietary patterns associated with lower CVD risk.

Intake and Food Sources of Dietary Fat Among Schoolchildren in The Woodlands, Texas

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sue McPherson ◽  
Milton Z. Nichaman ◽  
Harold W. Kohl ◽  
Debra B. Reed ◽  
Darwin R. Labarthe
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Fat Intake ◽  
Low Fat ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Total Fat ◽  
Fat Diets

To investigate the nutrient intake and food use patterns among schoolchildren, diet was assessed among 138 children and adolescents in grades 5 through 12 using three random, nonconsecutive, 1-day food records. Mean intake of total fat, saturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat as percent of calories was 35.6%, 13.4%, and 6.6%, respectively. Among all subjects, 17% consumed diets containing &lt;30% of calories from fat, 34% consumed3≥8% of calories from fat, 7% consumed &lt;10% of calories from saturated fatty acids, and &gt;97% ate &lt;300 mg of cholesterol per day. While intake of calories, sodium, and β-carotene per 1000 kcal was higher in subjects consuming higher fat diets, intake of other micronutrients was either higher among those eating low-fat diets or did not differ by level of fat intake. Differences were seen in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol that individual food sources contributed to the diets of subjects eating high and low fat diets. These cross-sectional data show that a substantial proportion of children and adolescents in this population are consuming diets low in fat and cholesterol without systematic differences in intake of other nutrients, suggesting that current dietary guidelines regarding fat intake are attainable within the current food use pattern of healthy, school-aged children and adolescents.

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