February 2022

WAIT!  BUTTER IS OK NOW?

The latest information about saturated fats

Fat has a long-standing identity crisis.  In the 90’s, all of it was bad.  Later, only some types were unhealthy, while others were good (looking at you, avocado).  More recently, it looks like most fats are back on the table, with headlines celebrating butter, coconut oil and other formerly vilified saturated fats. Confusing, right?  Some of the pro-butter news has stemmed from several recent meta-analyses of large observational studies that found no link between saturated fat intake and heart disease.  Plus, analyses of randomized controlled trials (the gold standard for research) reported inconsistent results but leaned toward a lack of an association.  Despite this research, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans still recommends limiting intake of saturated fat to less than 10% of your daily calories (a target that only 10% of Americans are hitting, by the way).  Why?  Because balance is important.  Saturated fats aren’t intrinsically bad, but modern diets tend to deliver too much, and an excess is bad.  There is no need to eliminate saturated fat from your diet, just don’t go overboard, and be mindful of what you eat instead.  Discrepancies between studies are often due to differences in the comparison or the saturated fat replacement.  In other words, whether saturated fat is good, bad or immaterial depends on what you’re comparing it to.  And we now have a better understanding of what should replace saturated fats in the diet.  Look to unsaturated fats, as they have been shown to lower your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.  While they’re all heart-healthy, omega-3 fats (found in fatty fish, walnuts and chia and flaxseeds) are particularly beneficial.  And be careful not to trade saturated-fat-heavy foods for those with added sweeteners and other ultra-refined carbohydrates like high-fructose corn syrup or foods containing trans-fats (partially hydrogenated oils).  The best available evidence suggests that saturated fats from meats and dairy are almost identically as harmful as added sweeteners.  That’s why the fat-free craze of the 90’s was such bad news: food companies stripped out both saturated and unsaturated fats and then pumped-up flavor with sweeteners and other refined carbohydrates. 

The bottom line:  a better way of looking at this than which fat is good, and which is bad is, what foods make your overall diet and health better?   You already know the answer: vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and seafood, all of which are not significant sources of saturated fat.  And stock your pantry with a variety of fats and oils for cooking (yes, even butter!).  They each have unique culinary uses and they will provide a good mix of fatty acids in your diet.

Brierley Horton, MS, RD