Eating more saturated fats, like those in butter and red meat, raises the bad cholesterol in your blood, which can build up as gunk in your arteries over time.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (3)
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This study found that people who ate more saturated fats (like butter and fatty meats) had higher cholesterol in their blood and were more likely to die from heart disease over 25 years — which means saturated fats likely clog arteries, just like the claim says.
The effects of foods on LDL cholesterol levels: A systematic review of the accumulated evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
This study found that eating lots of saturated fats (like butter and fatty meats) raises the bad cholesterol in your blood, which can clog your arteries—exactly what the claim says.
This study says eating less saturated fat helps lower bad cholesterol and reduces heart disease risk, which matches the claim that more saturated fat raises bad cholesterol and clogs arteries.
Contradicting (1)
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This study says that not everyone’s cholesterol goes up when they eat more saturated fat — some people’s stays the same — so blanket advice to cut saturated fat might not work for everyone, even if it works for some.
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.