Eating a lot of saturated fat makes your bad cholesterol go up.
Scientific Claim
Dietary intake of saturated fatty acids increases circulating levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in humans through upregulation of hepatic cholesterol synthesis and reduced LDL receptor expression.
Original Statement
“Diets high or hyper saturated in saturated fat, they can raise LDL significantly.”
Context Details
Domain
nutrition
Population
human
Subject
Dietary intake of saturated fatty acids
Action
increases
Target
circulating levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Lower Intake of Saturated Fatty Acids Is Associated with Improved Lipid Profile in a 6-Year-Old Nationally Representative Population
When kids ate less saturated fat (like butter and fatty meat), their 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) went down. When they ate more saturated fat, their LDL went up — so eating less saturated fat helps keep cholesterol lower.
Contradicting (1)
Effects of dietary fatty acids and carbohydrates on the ratio of serum total to HDL cholesterol and on serum lipids and apolipoproteins: a meta-analysis of 60 controlled trials.
This study looked at how different fats in food affect overall cholesterol levels, but it didn’t check if saturated fats raise LDL by changing how the liver makes or clears cholesterol, so we can’t say it proves the claim.