Current dietary recommendations advise reducing the intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, but... » More

Current dietary recommendations advise reducing the intake of saturated

fatty acids (SFAs) to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) risk,

but recent findings question the role of SFAs. This expert panel reviewed

the evidence and reached the following conclusions: the evidence from

epidemiologic, clinical, and mechanistic studies is consistent in finding

that the risk of CHD is reduced when SFAs are replaced with polyunsaturated

fatty acids (PUFAs). In populations who consume a Western

diet, the replacement of 1% of energy from SFAs with PUFAs lowers

LDL cholesterol and is likely to produce a reduction in CHD incidence

of
2–3%. No clear benefit of substituting carbohydrates for SFAs has

been shown, although there might be a benefit if the carbohydrate is

unrefined and has a low glycemic index. Insufficient evidence exists to

judge the effect on CHD risk of replacing SFAs with MUFAs. No clear

association between SFA intake relative to refined carbohydrates and

the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes has been shown. The effect of

diet on a single biomarker is insufficient evidence to assess CHD risk.

The combination of multiple biomarkers and the use of clinical endpoints

could help substantiate the effects on CHD. Furthermore, the

effect of particular foods on CHD cannot be predicted solely by their

content of total SFAs because individual SFAs may have different

cardiovascular effects and major SFA food sources contain other constituents

that could influence CHD risk. Research is needed to clarify

the role of SFAs compared with specific forms of carbohydrates in

CHD risk and to compare specific foods with appropriate alternatives.

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