New research finds that the current level of evidence does not support guidelines restricting saturated fatty acid consumption to reduce coronary risk nor does it support high consumption of polyunsaturated fats -- such as omega 3 or omega 6 -- to reduce coronary heart disease.

An international research collaboration led by the University of Cambridge analysed existing cohort studies and randomised trials on coronary risk and fatty acid intake. They showed that current evidence does not support guidelines which restrict the consumption of saturated fats in order to prevent heart disease. The researchers also found insufficient support for guidelines which advocate the high consumption of polyunsaturated fats (such as omega 3 and omega 6) to reduce the risk of coronary disease.

Linky

Diets low in saturated fat don't curb heart disease risk or help you live longer, says a leading US cardiovascular research scientist. And current dietary advice to replace saturated fats with carbohydrates or omega 6-rich polyunsaturated fats is based on flawed and incomplete data from the 1950s, argues the author. Dietary guidelines should be urgently reviewed and the vilification of saturated fats stopped to save lives, he insists.

There is now a strong argument in favour of the consumption of refined carbohydrates as the causative dietary factor behind the surge in obesity and diabetes in the US, he says.

And while a low fat diet may lower 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol, there are two types of LDL cholesterol. And switching to carbs may increase pattern B (small dense) LDL, which is more harmful to heart health than pattern A (large buoyant) LDL, as well as creating a more unfavourable overall lipid profile, he says.

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Oh jeez, really now?? I thought one thing that was pretty much agreed upon was more saturated fat --> higher cholesterol level --> increased risk of heart disease. This is in my head with every bite I put into my mouth. What the hell do they definitively know anymore?

I know, right?

This actually came up a little bit ago with one of my coworkers (we have a food research group) and  she contacted someone who has been involved in policy development at the American Heart Association and she agrees to the above as well.  The original interpretation of the 1950s data looks to be crumbling.

I have so trained myself to eat a (relatively) low-fat diet, specifically for this reason, that I'm not sure I could untrain myself.

Well, you better GET to untraining.

It's on!!

Oh jeez, really now?? I thought one thing that was pretty much agreed upon was more saturated fat --> higher cholesterol level --> increased risk of heart disease. This is in my head with every bite I put into my mouth. What the hell do they definitively know anymore?

Whenever I tell my husband about a new study, he rolls his eyes and bitches about another study that will be contradicted by a future study.  To him, until this shit is on the medical magazines (the real ones like the Journal of Family Medicine, etc.) his standards for fat consumption recommendations will remain the same.

Compared to a lot of the "we studied 14 people and here are the shocking results" crap studies that get publicity, this study actually at least has a large dataset:

There were 32 observational studies (530, 525 participants) of fatty acids from dietary intake; 17 observational studies (25, 721 participants) of fatty acid biomarkers; and 27 randomized, controlled trials (103, 052 participants) of fatty acid supplementation.

What did I say in the thread about protein?  This stuff changes constantly.  Moderation goes a long way.  Eat a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and don't stress yourself into a heart attack.

What did I say in the thread about protein?  This stuff changes constantly.  Moderation goes a long way.  Eat a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and don't stress yourself into a heart attack.

Nothing changes.  It's just that lots of people design crappy studies and then think it proves something when it doesn't.