A new study found that the high consumption of trans fat increases one's risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who ate smaller amounts. It also debunked an earlier belief that saturated fats are bad for one's cardiovascular health, because the researchers didn't find an association.
Earlier studies have linked saturated fats to higher blood cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends that we limit our intake of saturated fats to no more than 13 grams per day. Trans fat, on the other hand, has long been associated to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. As HNGN previously reported, the FDA is giving food manufacturers until 2018 to remove artificial trans fat from their products due to these known risks.
But researchers at McMaster University claim that exceeding the limit set for saturated fats consumption does not pose a risk to one's cardiovascular health and one should pay more attention on the trans fat.
"For years, everyone has been advised to cut out fats. Trans fats have no health benefits and pose a significant risk for heart disease, but the case for saturated fat is less clear," Russell de Souza, study lead author and an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics with the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, said in a news release.
"That said, we aren't advocating an increase of the allowance for saturated fats in dietary guidelines, as we don't see evidence that higher limits would be specifically beneficial to health."
Souza and his colleagues reviewed 50 studies that linked saturated fats and trans fat to adult health. Their analysis showed that higher consumption of saturated fats do not increase one's risk to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Over-consumption of trans fat, on the other hand, is linked to a 34 percent increased risk of death for any reason, 28 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease, and 21 percent higher chance of developing heart disease.
The study was published in the August 12 issue of the British Medical Journal.
