Here is good news for dairy lovers! Indulging in cream and butter doesn't pose negative effects to the heart. A study by researchers from the G Jebsen Center for Diabetes Research at the University of Bergen reveals saturated fat is not related to heart diseases at all -- debunking the traditional theory that saturated fat is less healthy.
Saturated fat, commonly from dairy products and red meat has long been associated with various illnesses. Saturated fat has been controversially tagged as "unhealthy" as many known health organization link saturated fat to risks of cardiovascular diseases. Even the World Health Organization recommends switching from saturated to unsaturated fat.
In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers studied the effects of high fat and low fat diets in men with abdominal obesity on a randomized controlled trial. In a group of 38 men, half are given a diet with high saturated fat while the other half served as the control group with carbohydrate rich diet. Both groups had similar intakes of proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and energy rich foods.
Findings revealed that those in the group with high intake of saturated fat did not develop an increased risk of heart diseases. The researchers added that saturated fats proved to have no negative effects in the context of a healthy diet which includes many vegetables and rice. It is not saturated fat, but instead, the quality of food, which affects health risks.
"Participants on the very-high-fat diet also had substantial improvements in several important cardiometabolic risk factors, such as ectopic fat storage, blood pressure, blood lipids (triglycerides), insulin and blood sugar," cardiologist Ottar Nygård said, according to the University of Bergen.
Nygård also revealed that saturated fat may even have good effects to those with heart diseases. The study revealed that if partnered with good food, high-fat diet may even increase the "good" cholesterol in the blood which promotes cardiovascular health.
