Modifying saturated fat intake helps decrease risk of cardiovascular events by 21%
Limiting saturated fat intake can decrease a person’s risk of adverse cardiovascular events by a significant margin, according to a new systematic review of 15 different studies. Saturated fats are often found in meat, dairy products and some tropical oils.
The analysis, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, includes research from numerous databases, including the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. All trials were randomized and included at least 24 months of observation.
Overall, the authors observed that limiting saturated fat intake can lead to a 21% drop in an individual’s likelihood of adverse cardiovascular events. Also, greater reductions in saturated fat intake were associated with making a more substantial impact. The authors noted that there was no significant difference if replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats or carbohydrates.
“The findings of this updated review suggest that reducing saturated fat intake for at least two years causes a potentially important reduction in combined cardiovascular events,” wrote first author Lee Hooper, PhD, SRD, University of East Anglia in the UK, and colleagues. “Replacing the energy from saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat or carbohydrate appear to be useful strategies, while effects of replacement with monounsaturated fat are unclear. The reduction in combined cardiovascular events resulting from reducing saturated fat did not alter by study duration, sex or baseline level of cardiovascular risk, but greater reduction in saturated fat caused greater reductions in cardiovascular events.”
The team did note that reducing saturated fat intake had “little or no effect” on all-cause mortality.
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