Are fats like butter and margarine bad for you?
Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at what happens when people eat different kinds of fats over many years. It found that eating more butter or meat fat doesn’t seem to raise your risk of heart disease or diabetes, but eating margarine with artificial trans fats does.
Surprising Findings
Ruminant trans fats (from dairy/meat) showed no harm — while industrial trans fats were deadly.
Most people think 'trans fat = bad' — but this study proves the source matters. Natural trans fats in cheese don’t act like the ones in donuts.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid processed foods with 'partially hydrogenated oils' — they’re the real danger.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at what happens when people eat different kinds of fats over many years. It found that eating more butter or meat fat doesn’t seem to raise your risk of heart disease or diabetes, but eating margarine with artificial trans fats does.
Surprising Findings
Ruminant trans fats (from dairy/meat) showed no harm — while industrial trans fats were deadly.
Most people think 'trans fat = bad' — but this study proves the source matters. Natural trans fats in cheese don’t act like the ones in donuts.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid processed foods with 'partially hydrogenated oils' — they’re the real danger.
Publication
Journal
The BMJ
Year
2015
Authors
R. D. de Souza, A. Mente, Adriana Maroleanu, A. Cozma, V. Ha, T. Kishibe, E. Uleryk, P. Budylowski, H. Schünemann, J. Beyene, Sonia S Anand
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Claims (6)
Multiple large-scale meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies demonstrate no statistically significant association between dietary saturated fat intake and incidence of coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease.
A specific type of fat found naturally in dairy products is linked to a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even though people don’t eat much of it.
People who eat a lot of trans fats (especially from fried and processed foods) are more likely to die from any cause, but this doesn’t seem to affect their risk of stroke or diabetes clearly.
Eating man-made trans fats found in fried and processed foods is linked to a higher chance of dying from heart disease or having a heart attack, but the natural trans fats in dairy and meat don’t seem to have the same effect.
Eating more saturated fat from butter, meat, or cheese doesn’t clearly make people more likely to die early or get heart disease or diabetes, but the studies aren’t perfect, so we can’t be totally sure.