Eating more saturated fat might shorten your life — studies show people aged 55 to 74 who eat more of it have a higher chance of dying earlier, so cutting back could help you live longer.

People who eat a higher share of saturated fats compared to all the fat they consume are more likely to die from any cause, even if they’re not eating more fat overall — and this holds true after accounting for things like age, lifestyle, and health markers.

Eating saturated fat doesn’t seem to increase the risk of dying from heart disease in American adults, even after tracking over 45,000 people for many years — so cutting back on saturated fat alone might not help you live longer.

Eating more or less of different kinds of fats—like those in butter, olive oil, or fish—doesn’t seem to change your risk of dying from any cause, as long as you’re otherwise healthy and you account for other lifestyle factors.

People in the U.S. who eat more of the healthy fats (like those in fish and nuts) compared to their total fat intake tend to live longer, even if they eat the same amount of fat overall — and this holds true no matter their age, gender, income, or health habits.

Eating more saturated fat — like in butter or red meat — doesn't appear to raise the chance of dying from heart disease, based on long-term studies of nearly 90,000 people.