This review looked at data from over 347,000 adults followed for an average of 14 years — so if saturated fat had even a moderate effect on heart disease, this study would have been able to find it.
Scientific Claim
The meta-analysis included 21 prospective cohort studies with a mean follow-up of 14.3 years and a total of 347,747 adult participants, providing substantial statistical power to detect moderate associations between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease.
Original Statement
“Altogether, this meta-analysis included data from 21 unique studies, with 16 studies providing risk estimates for CHD and 8 studies providing data for stroke as an endpoint. Data were derived from 347,747 participants... The duration of follow-up ranged from 6 to 23 y, with a mean and median follow-up of 14.3 and 14 y, respectively.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
This is a purely descriptive statement of study characteristics, which the study reports directly. No inference or causal language is used, making it appropriately stated.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease
This big study looked at hundreds of thousands of people over many years and found that eating more saturated fat didn’t increase their risk of heart disease or stroke, even though it had plenty of data to spot such a link if it existed.