Myth 2 - Saturated Fat is Bad

For decades, people have believed that eating saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, this idea has been the cornerstone of mainstream nutrition recommendations.

However, studies published in the past few decades prove that saturated fat is not the major cause of metabolic syndrome and health issues.

A meta-analysis (Study of studies) in 2010 looked at data from a total of 21 research papers that included 347,747 individuals. They found zero association between saturated fat consumption and the risk of heart disease.

The truth is saturated fat raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

It also changes the LDL cholesterol from small, dense LDL (“bad”) to large, fluffy LDL, which is much healthier and less likely to block arteries.

The war on saturated fat was based on a theory from Ancel Keys after he carefully selected data that supported his theory and ignored data that contradicted it. This shows the importance of getting all the information and fortunately science is now providing it. 

There is no reason to fear butter, meat or coconut oil… these foods are healthy when consumed at appropriate levels and when sourced from healthy animals or harvested correctly.

Bottom Line

New Studies show that saturated fat does NOT increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. It raises the good cholesterol and changes the “bad” cholesterol to a benign subtype. Coconut oil has even been shown to increase fat loss and reduce fat storage.

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Read more in the 'Nutrition Myths Busted' Series

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