Does eating more butter hurt your heart if you already have heart disease?
Dietary intake of saturated fat is not associated with risk of coronary events or mortality in patients with established coronary artery disease.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Higher saturated fat intake was not linked to more heart attacks or death in patients with established coronary artery disease.
For over 50 years, public health guidelines have blamed saturated fat for heart disease; this study shows no such link—even in a high-risk group.
Practical Takeaways
If you have heart disease, you don’t necessarily need to eliminate butter or cheese—focus on overall diet quality and medication adherence instead.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Higher saturated fat intake was not linked to more heart attacks or death in patients with established coronary artery disease.
For over 50 years, public health guidelines have blamed saturated fat for heart disease; this study shows no such link—even in a high-risk group.
Practical Takeaways
If you have heart disease, you don’t necessarily need to eliminate butter or cheese—focus on overall diet quality and medication adherence instead.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Year
2015
Authors
N. Puaschitz, E. Strand, T. Norekvål, J. Dierkes, L. Dahl, G. Svingen, J. Assmus, H. Schartum-Hansen, J. Øyen, E. Pedersen, C. Drevon, G. Tell, O. Nygård
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Claims (3)
Cutting down on all fats in your diet—no matter what kind of carbs you eat—won’t make you any less likely to get heart disease over eight years.
Cutting down on all fats in your diet—no matter if they’re healthy or unhealthy—won’t make a noticeable difference in whether adults get heart disease over eight years.
For people who already have heart disease, eating foods high in saturated fats—like butter or red meat—doesn’t seem to make their chances of having a heart attack or dying any higher or lower.