Saturated Fat and Heart Health
Last week I talked about trans fat and its effect on heart health; this week I’ll share what I know about saturated fat! The research around saturated fat and heart health has been a long-debated topic. Today I’ll discuss the most up-to-date research about saturated fat and whether or not it’s something you need to be careful of to keep your heart healthy. Plus I’ll tell you in which foods you can find it!
What is saturated fat?
Chemically speaking, saturated fat is fat molecules that are saturated with hydrogen and tend to be solid at room temperature. Saturated fat is found mostly in animal products:
Dairy that is not fat-free such as milk, half & half, yogurt, cheese, butter, ice cream, and sour cream
Eggs
Lard
Fatty parts of red meat such as beef, pork, and lamb
Poultry with skin and darker meats such as chicken thighs and drumsticks
Processed meats such as salami, pepperoni, bologna, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs
It can be found in some plant-based foods as well:
Palm oil and palm kernel oil
Coconut, including coconut oil and milk
Saturated fat can also be found in packaged snack foods and sweets, as well as many restaurant dishes.
Heart health
In the 1950s, research started to emerge showing the relationship between dietary fat intake and cardiovascular disease. The first Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released in 1977 and suggested that saturated fat intake be limited to 10% or less of total calorie intake.
Over the years, new research showing that saturated fat may not lead to cardiovascular disease has emerged, though the guidelines for intake haven’t changed. Other research has demonstrated that reducing saturated fat in the diet and replacing it with refined carbohydrates may be just as bad for heart health, so the type of fat in the diet is definitely important (stay tuned for next week’s post about unsaturated fats).
Recommendations for saturated fat consumption
As you can see, appropriate intake of saturated fat continues to be a debated topic. Current guidelines for intake are:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest limiting saturated fat intake to 10% or less of total daily calorie intake. For example, if you eat 2,000 calories in a day, 10% of this is 22 grams of saturated fat. Check nutrition labels of your favorite foods if you’re curious about their saturated fat content!
The American Heart Association recommends reducing this even further to less than 7% of total daily calorie intake. If eating 2,000 calories in a day, 7% is only 15.5 grams of saturated fat for the whole day.
When choosing your sources of saturated fat, focus on whole-foods rather than processed snack foods. The best options include:
Milk and plain yogurt - 1%, 2%, or whole
Real butter - in moderation!
Eggs
Lean cuts of beef
Chicken thighs
I recommend choosing dairy that has some fat in it. The fat makes it more filling and I think it tastes better! Recent research shows that the fat found in dairy may not raise the risk for developing heart disease as was once thought.
Saturated fat has gotten a bad rep in the past, but it’s possible that it really isn’t as bad for heart health as was once thought. Focusing on whole-food sources and consuming them in moderation is your best bet. It’s also important to make sure you are consuming plenty of healthy fats to keep your heart healthy - stay tuned to learn about healthy fats next week!
