At the Kahn Center, we teach a plant forward or plant only diet that is naturally low in calories from saturated fat rich foods (with attention to limiting coconut and palm oils too).
Recently, the MAHA movement and the USDA has raised questions about these limits and have suggested beef tallow, whole fat dairy, and more meats in the US diet. Is this in line with medical groups? A review around the world indicates that the viewpoint of panels of experts still favor limits on saturated fat rich foods like meats, cheeses, pastries and baked goods, butter, and dairy.
Saturated Fat 2023 Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guideline “In adults living with or without cardiovascular disease, healthcare professionals may suggest reduced saturated fat intake within an individualized healthy dietary pattern.” “In adults living with and without cardiovascular disease, healthcare professionals should recommend replacing dietary saturated fat intake with dietary polyunsaturated fat intake.”
World Health Organization (WHO) advises that adults and children limit saturated fatty acids to no more than 10% of total energy intake, and that most dietary fat should come from unsaturated fats; trans fat should be under 1% of energy. WHO explicitly recommends replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats to improve cardiovascular risk markers and overall mortality.
The American Heart Association (AHA) currently recommends that people aiming to reduce cardiovascular risk limit saturated fat to less than 6% of total calories (≈11–13 g/day on a 2,000‑kcal diet). AHA dietary guidelines have historically framed their pattern as 30–35% of calories from total fat, <7% from saturated fat, and <1% from trans fat, particularly for patients with or at high risk for CVD.
European Society of Cardiology (ESC) dietary guidance for people with hypertension, diabetes, or coronary disease similarly expects saturated fat to comprise well under 10% of energy, often using <7% of energy from saturated fat as a benchmark in adherence studies.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada endorses patterns where total fat is <30% of energy and saturated fat around 7% of calories or less, in line with AHA‑style cardioprotective diets
In general, the dietary patterns showing the most health benefits are based mainly on plant foods…healthy protein sources…and include unsaturated fats (such as mono- and polyunsaturated fat). These patterns are also lower in added sugar, saturated and/or trans fats, and excess calories.
Recommend replacing foods high in saturated fats with those high in unsaturated fats and/or fiber. Dietary patterns that consistently have the greatest impact on LDL-C reduction have high intake of whole plant foods and are low in saturated fat. Reduce and limit or eliminate foods high in saturated fat, including red meat, pork, processed meats (e.g., bacon, ham, salami, sausages, hot dogs), butter, cream and processed foods containing palm oil or coconut oil.
Reducing consumption of meat and dairy, saturated fat, and animal protein; increasing fiber consumption; maintaining normal hormone levels; and altering the gut microbiota also offer benefits of a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet to reduce cancer risk.
Saturated fat: This type of fat can increase your cholesterol, and as a result, your risk of heart disease. This is one of the fats that should be limited in our diet…. The goal is to get less than 10% of one’s calories from saturated fat.
While the Dietary Guidelines are for general health and AICR’s recommendations are specific to cancer prevention, the two are largely aligned. Both recommend eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; limiting intake of foods high in saturated fat and added sugars; and eating appropriate portion sizes to manage weight.
The AMA agrees with the continued emphasis on nutrient-dense foods and the need to limit consumption of foods that offer little nutrients but are high in added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium.
Lowering the prevalence of chronic diseases through diets lower in calories, sodium, and saturated fat has the potential for reductions in medical and health costs.
High fat intake—particularly a diet high in saturated fats—can cause health problems, including heart disease later in life…. For that reason, after age 2 children should be served foods that are lower in fat and saturated fats. As a general guideline, fats should make up less than 30% of the calories in your child’s diet, with no more than about one-third or fewer of those fat calories coming from saturated fat and the remainder from unsaturated (polyunsaturated or monounsaturated) fats.
High saturated fat was statistically significantly associated with greater risk of HER2 disease. High saturated fat intake particularly increases risk of receptor-positive disease, suggesting saturated fat involvement in the etiology of this BC subtype.
