Differentiating between the facts and fiction

If you ask someone about the “function” of saturated fat, or about what does it actually does, be prepared to get a highly “variable” response; what you hear will entirely depend on who you ask, his / her knowledge and expertise in nutrition and, of course, experience.

For several years, saturated fats have suffered a bad reputation, mainly because of the allegations that they increase blood cholesterol, which eventually leads to lipid deposition inside your blood vessels (arteries) and thus results in various complications like heart disease etc. Recently, the significance of cholesterol itself as a main risk factor for cardiovascular disease has become controversial also, but aside from that, several clinical studies now testify to the fact that saturated fats do not always increase one’s blood cholesterol levels.  In fact, even if they do occasionally raise cholesterol, the effect is “negligible”. The point is, not all saturated fats raise cholesterol!

Thankfully, we are now living in the new millennium, an era of “evidence-based” medicine where theories are not just accepted for their own sake. In a recent (2008) medical conference organized by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians in conjunction with the Metabolism Society in Arizona, most researchers concluded that there’s not much evidence to support the typical, traditional theory of “saturated fat enhances one’s risk for heart disease”.

Frankly speaking, the "outcome" of saturated fat in your body depends entirely on what else do you eat with it. For example, for people consuming a diet high in carbohydrates (sugar), eating saturated fat may pose a threat. However, on the other hand, if your diet is low in carbohydrates, the results can be completely different.  

Saturated fat & carbohydrates - The crucial connection
According to a famous nutritionist, if your blood glucose (carbohydrates) is low (or is within certain limits), your insulin levels will also remain low and hence, your body will start burning the saturated fat as a fuel (instead of carbohydrates) leading to lower saturated fat levels in your blood.
The bottom line: it really doesn’t matter how much saturated fat you are consuming, as long as you are eating a diet low in carbohydrates.
One of the reasons behind this myth (that saturated fat is always a risk for your heart) is that many people fail to differentiate between saturated fat and trans-fats. However, again, in depth studies have revealed that it is trans-fat that poses a clear-cut risk for heart disease and stroke and could even cause about 30,000 early (premature) deaths a year in US alone.

Another reason behind this bad-mouthing of saturated fat is that people usually get saturated fat from “bad” sources, for example, from deep fried foods, processed deli meats, hormone-treated beef and the like.  Instead, they should consume saturated fat coming from sources like grass-fed beef or lamb, or organic butter and egg yolk in the dairy category.

More interesting facts about saturated fat
If you simply replace your regular carbohydrate diet with saturated fat, it will lead to:
·    Reduced triglycerides levels (do remember, triglycerides are a definite risk factor for heart disease)
·    Enhanced HDL cholesterol levels (the good, much needed cholesterol for your heart).
·    Bigger size of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol for your heart) particles, which have less tendency for leading to deposits inside your arteries (reduced chances of atherosclerosis / heart attack)

All in all, there’s no strong evidence that consuming saturated fat is “always” a risk factor for heart disease. In fact, if you’re on a low carbohydrate (sugar) diet, quite the opposite could be true as, according to some, it will, in fact, help decrease your heart disease risk.