Eating more saturated fat, like butter or fatty meat, doesn't seem to raise your risk of heart disease, according to a big review of 16 long-term studies of adults.

Scientific Claim

Dietary saturated fat intake is not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in adults, based on pooled data from 16 prospective cohort studies involving 347,747 participants and 11,006 cardiovascular events, with a relative risk of 1.07 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.19) 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 1.07 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.19; P = 0.22) for CHD...”

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 study design (observational cohort meta-analysis) can only show association, not causation. The claim uses neutral language ('not associated') and reports precise effect sizes and confidence intervals, which is appropriate.

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 didn’t make them more likely to get heart disease.

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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