Eating more saturated fat doesn't appear to raise your risk of having a stroke, according to a review of 8 long-term studies of adults.

Scientific Claim

Dietary saturated fat intake is not associated with an increased risk of stroke in adults, based on pooled data from 8 prospective cohort studies, with a relative risk of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.05) comparing highest to lowest intake quartiles.

Original Statement

“Intake of saturated fat was not associated with an increased risk of CHD, stroke, or CVD. The pooled relative risk estimates that compared extreme quantiles of saturated fat intake were ... 0.81 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.05; P = 0.11) for stroke...”

From study:Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The claim correctly uses neutral language and reports the exact relative risk and confidence interval from the study, which is appropriate for observational data. No causal language is used.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2010 Mar

This big study looked at lots of people over many years and found that eating more saturated fat (like butter or cheese) didn’t make people more likely to have a stroke.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease

Score: 60

DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725

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