Saturated Fat and Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) or heart disease involves dysfunction of the cardiovascular system. It can be further broken down into coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease (PAD), and aortic atherosclerosis. CVD continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States and globally, resulting in an estimated 20.5 million deaths, or one-third of all global deaths. [1]

Reducing Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

What are the risk factors for CVD? Data analyzed from over a million individuals who participated in 112 cohort studies across 34 countries and found high blood pressure to be the leading risk factor for CVD. [2] The study also found that reducing the following five modifiable risk factors reduced the risk of developing CVD by over 50%: elevated body mass index, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking tobacco, and diabetes.  [2] These factors contribute to dysfunction, inflammation, and narrowing of the blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis or the development of the atherosclerotic plaque. [3]

Saturated Fat and Cardiovascular Disease

The association between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease has been studied for many decades. Back in 1965, in reviewing the association between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease, researchers theorized that dietary saturated fat increases cardiovascular (CV) risk because it increases serum cholesterol. [4] 

Since these early studies, we have learned about the specific risk of an increase in total and LDL cholesterol and the protective effect of raising HDL cholesterol. A 2003 systematic review found that the greatest risk reduction comes from replacing trans and saturated fats with unsaturated fats. [5] A 2020 meta-analysis found that reducing dietary saturated fat reduced the risk of combined cardiovascular events by 21%. [6] A 2022 meta-analysis used circulating fatty acids to provide a more objective biomarker of dietary fat and found that a higher concentration of circulating total SFAs was associated with an increasing risk of cardiometabolic diseases, and the risk increased significantly by 50% for CVD. [6]

Some research on saturated fat and CVD risk has concluded that the evidence is mixed or inconclusive. One explanation for this result could be that the studies did not account for the critical threshold at which saturated fat increases risk of CVD, around 10% of total calories. [7] If the participants in the study reduce their saturated fat intake, but their starting intake was less than this threshold, we are unlikely to see a significant decrease in risk.

Reducing Your Saturated Fat Intake

If saturated fat is associated with cardiovascular disease, how much should we limit saturated fat? The greatest reduction in relative risk was at a saturated fat level of below 10% of total calories, and the benefit was clearest after 2 years. [7]

Practical tips for reducing saturated fat intake:

• Try reducing red meat and opting for leaner meats like chicken, fish, or turkey
• Replace some of your animal protein with plant-based proteins like beans and legumes
• Choose lower-fat options when it comes to dairy products
• Cook with plant oils like olive oil or avocado oil instead of butter or margarine

In addition to reducing your saturated fat intake, you can try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, which have been shown to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. [8] If you are interested in reducing your saturated fat and want to learn more about how you can reduce your risk of CVD, contact the Amos Institute today to talk with a Registered Dietitian.

References

1. Lindstrom et al, 2022: https://doi.og/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.11.001
2. Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium, 2023: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206916
3. Jebari-Benslaiman et al, 2022: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23063346
4. Hegsted et al, 1965: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/17.5.281
5. Mensink et al, 2003: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/77.5.1146
6. Hooper et al, 2020: https://doi.og/10.1002/14651858.CD011737.pub2
7. Li et al, 2022: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.963471
8. Aune et al, 2017: https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyw319