Dr. Sarah Berry

saturated fat as a whole we know is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease increased risk of all-cause mortality but there's lots of people that say you know we've got it wrong as nutritional scientists we don't know what we're talking about it because actually there's this meta-analysis that showed that actually saturated fat isn't bad for us and that's because when we think about the health effects of food we have to always think of that instead of what

saturated fat as a whole we know is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease increased risk of all-cause mortality but there's lots of people that say you know we've got it wrong as nutritional scientists we don't know what we're talking about it because actually there's this meta-analysis that showed that actually saturated fat isn't bad for us and that's because when we think about the health effects of food we have to always think of that instead of what

So there was some work that was carried out looking at hundreds and hundreds of different clinical trials where they've replaced saturated fat in the diet with carbohydrates or trans fats or polyunsaturated fats or monounsaturated fats. And what this research showed is that if you replace saturated fats with whole grain carbohydrates... you have an improvement in health.

So there was some work that was carried out looking at hundreds and hundreds of different clinical trials where they've replaced saturated fat in the diet with carbohydrates or trans fats or polyunsaturated fats or monounsaturated fats. And what this research showed is that if you replace saturated fats with whole grain carbohydrates... you have an improvement in health.

If you replace saturated fats with poly or monounsaturated fats, you have an improvement in health. If you replace saturated fats with refined carbohydrates, there's no difference.

If you replace saturated fats with poly or monounsaturated fats, you have an improvement in health. If you replace saturated fats with refined carbohydrates, there's no difference.

So you could take that study and you could say, and this is of hundreds of different studies, and say saturated fats are really bad for us because we know that if you replace them with whole grain or polyammonium saturated fats, you have a beneficial effect. Or I could take the same analysis and say, oh, saturated fats are fine. Nutritionists have got it all wrong.

So you could take that study and you could say, and this is of hundreds of different studies, and say saturated fats are really bad for us because we know that if you replace them with whole grain or polyammonium saturated fats, you have a beneficial effect. Or I could take the same analysis and say, oh, saturated fats are fine. Nutritionists have got it all wrong.

because actually there's no detrimental effect if you compare it with refined carbohydrates. And this is exactly what happened. When this meta-analysis came out probably about 15 years ago, I remember looking at the headlines of two different papers. I won't say what the papers are, but one I would say is a little bit more evidence-based and one is a good example of clickbait headlines.

because actually there's no detrimental effect if you compare it with refined carbohydrates. And this is exactly what happened. When this meta-analysis came out probably about 15 years ago, I remember looking at the headlines of two different papers. I won't say what the papers are, but one I would say is a little bit more evidence-based and one is a good example of clickbait headlines.

They had totally different headlines. One said, nutrition scientists have got it all wrong, we've been lied to, saturated fats are fine. The other said, research, again, consistently shows saturated fats are detrimental to our health. Obviously that one's right.

They had totally different headlines. One said, nutrition scientists have got it all wrong, we've been lied to, saturated fats are fine. The other said, research, again, consistently shows saturated fats are detrimental to our health. Obviously that one's right.

talking about the same study, because it's the instead of what. And that's really important when we think about the health effects. The other thing that does complicate things a little bit with saturated fats is there's lots of different types of saturated fats. We know that the type of saturated fat matters, but we know the food matrix that it's in matters, and the dairy is a great example.

talking about the same study, because it's the instead of what. And that's really important when we think about the health effects. The other thing that does complicate things a little bit with saturated fats is there's lots of different types of saturated fats. We know that the type of saturated fat matters, but we know the food matrix that it's in matters, and the dairy is a great example.

So you have cheese and butter, exactly the same, or almost identical fat composition, two entirely different effects on our cholesterol. So it is a little bit more nuanced than saying all saturated fat's bad. It depends on the type and the food it's in.

So you have cheese and butter, exactly the same, or almost identical fat composition, two entirely different effects on our cholesterol. So it is a little bit more nuanced than saying all saturated fat's bad. It depends on the type and the food it's in.

So I would say the type of saturated fats that we want to avoid are the saturated fats that are found in most animal products, except fermented dairy, except cheese, except yogurt. So beef tallow. I would say the evidence consistently shows it's not favorable for our health. Lard, butter in large amounts. And then the meat, the fat that's intrinsic to the meat. Take salami.

So I would say the type of saturated fats that we want to avoid are the saturated fats that are found in most animal products, except fermented dairy, except cheese, except yogurt. So beef tallow. I would say the evidence consistently shows it's not favorable for our health. Lard, butter in large amounts. And then the meat, the fat that's intrinsic to the meat. Take salami.

You can see the fat in there. Take steak, for example. Cut off the visible bits of the fat. It's okay in small amounts. I'm not saying we should avoid it totally. But if you have the option of kind of cutting off, trimming the fat, then I would. And then there are some tropical oils that are very high in saturated fat.

You can see the fat in there. Take steak, for example. Cut off the visible bits of the fat. It's okay in small amounts. I'm not saying we should avoid it totally. But if you have the option of kind of cutting off, trimming the fat, then I would. And then there are some tropical oils that are very high in saturated fat.