One study that tried to get people to eat only 10% saturated fat actually saw more people die than in the group that ate more fat.
Scientific Claim
The only trial testing a 10% saturated fat diet reported higher all-cause and CHD mortality in the intervention group compared to controls.
Original Statement
“A single RCT examined the consequence of a 10% saturated fat diet and reported a higher incidence of all-cause mortality and CHD deaths in the intervention group.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study explicitly reports higher mortality in the 10% saturated fat group. The claim is factual and supported by the data in Table 1 and the discussion.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This study looked at all the major old experiments on low-fat diets and found no evidence that eating very little saturated fat made people die more often — in fact, it showed no difference in deaths at all.