Study: Saturated Fat Not Linked to Heart Disease

For decades, doctors have cautioned against a diet high in saturated fat, believing it clogs the arteries and contributes to heart disease. And being that heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States, this is a serious warning that shouldn't be taken lightly. However, there's new evidence suggesting that saturated fat does not cause or contribute to heart disease.

Researchers in the U.K. believe that saturated fat isn't the problem, but rather chronic inflammation. When a person suffers from chronic inflammation, he or she is more likely to experience high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels, and other risk factors associated with heart disease. The good news is that researchers say simple lifestyle changes can negate these effects and help individuals reduce their risk of heart disease.

When discussing their findings, researchers cited a meta-analysis of several existing studies which reveal no clear link between the consumption of saturated fat and heart disease, diabetes and early mortality. Furthermore, researchers cite a separate study revealing no clear benefit from reducing saturated fat in people who already suffer from heart disease. These findings suggest that saturated fat -- a common type of fat found in milk, cheese, eggs, red meat and other products -- does not cause or contribute to heart disease.

"Coronary artery disease pathogenesis and treatment urgently requires a paradigm shift. Despite popular belief among doctors and the public, the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong,” wrote the study's authors.

Does this mean you should ignore cholesterol? Not necessarily, as blood cholesterol differs from dietary cholesterol. Blood cholesterol, also known as total cholesterol, is a measurement of the amount of cholesterol in your blood -- and it can affect health markers associated with heart disease. The key thing to remember, however, is that a consuming a diet high in dietary cholesterol doesn't necessarily translate into high levels of blood cholesterol. You can consume eggs, milk and other foods with a high level of dietary cholesterol on a daily basis without it ever affecting your blood cholesterol levels.

Researchers say that measuring a person's blood cholesterol levels is a better predictor of the person's heart disease risk. There are dozens of factors that contribute to high levels of blood cholesterol, one of which is stress. Stress is something that everyone will experience at some point in their life. When stress becomes chronic, however, it can affect the body in many ways, including raising levels of blood cholesterol. This is just one of many reasons why you should relax and not sweat the small stuff.

This study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.