Saturated fat is one of the most controversial topics in healthcare. If you follow me on X, you know how often it comes up in conversation.
Unfortunately, now that it’s become such a hot-button issue, it’s almost impossible to get any real information about it.
I want you to be informed of the facts about saturated fat — not just hearsay, opinions, or ego disguised as conventional ‘wisdom.’
Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know, starting with a brief definition.
What is saturated fat?
Saturated fat is a type of fatty acid that’s mostly solid at room temperature. If you eat whole, real food, you probably get saturated fat from red meat, butter, coconut oil, and eggs. On the Standard American Diet, you get saturated fat in processed food like Twinkies and doughnuts.
Unfortunately, flawed science has demonized saturated fat, regardless of its origin or method of processing. This is one of the biggest reasons we’re facing such a massive heart health crisis — because the saturated fat conversation is much more nuanced than we’ve been told.
Common misconceptions about saturated fat
Heart Surgeons View on Carnivore and Saturated Fats | Dr. Phillip Ovadia |
I have been a heart surgeon for more than 20 years. I’ve also followed a high-fat, animal-based diet since 2015.
And while I’m eating more than the recommended daily value of saturated fat, I’ve lost 100 pounds and kept it off — and reclaimed my metabolic health.
How is this possible?
Because saturated fat isn’t ‘bad’ across the board.
Let me show you the facts so you can see for yourself.
Misconception 1: Saturated fat in red meat is bad for you
When people talk about the ‘evils’ of saturated fat, they often point to red meat as the biggest offender. However, red meat doesn’t actually contain that much saturated fat — usually 40% depending on the cut in question.
Coconut oil, in contrast, is always put forth as a healthy oil. It also has the highest saturated fat component of 95%.
So we’re supposed to believe that coconut oil is ‘healthy,’ but red meat is not?
From a research standpoint, there is no solid evidence to suggest that eating red meat is harmful to our health. Even dietary ‘guidelines’ can’t find any substantial evidence showing that saturated fat in unprocessed meat is ‘bad’ for your health. What you’ll often notice, though, is that when headlines talk about the dangers of red meat, they’re invariably referring to a study that looked at “red meat and processed meat” as though they’re the same thing.
Misconception 2: Saturated fat is bad for your heart
Again, there is no evidence to support the fact that saturated fat is harmful to heart health. On the contrary — the more saturated fat you eat from whole, real food, the better your metabolic health may be.
This, of course, entirely depends on the source of your saturated fat. Whole, real foods like whole-fat dairy and unprocessed meat do not have a link to heart disease or diabetes. Processed food, however, has a very strong link. Although you probably didn’t need me to tell you that.
There is also no evidence suggesting that limits on saturated fat have any real impact on preventing heart disease. As the US National Cancer Institute says, “there is no reliable evidence that a diet started in adulthood that is low in fat and meat and high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables reduces the risk of CRC by a clinically important degree.”
To summarize, saturated fat isn’t going to destroy your heart. If you’re eating it in whole, real food, it may actually improve your metabolic health.
Misconception 3: Saturated fat will hurt my cholesterol levels
To understand why this is a myth, we need to debunk another myth first: dietary cholesterol.
In 1968, researchers claimed that dietary cholesterol significantly contributed to heart disease. It didn’t take long for the American Heart Association to impose a limit of 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.
However, additional research in the 1990s found no correlation between dietary cholesterol and rates of heart disease. In other words, eating food with cholesterol in it will not raise your blood cholesterol levels.
Now let’s turn our attention to saturated fat, which does, in fact, raise blood cholesterol levels. However, you should know that saturated fat doesn’t just raise your LDL — it also raises your HDL, which is a protective lipoprotein that helps to prevent heart disease.
If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, let me give you a crash course. LDL cholesterol can build up plaque in your arteries. Your HDL, however, whisks excess LDL to your liver. This means if you’re eating whole, real foods containing saturated fat, you don’t have to worry about your LDL climbing higher than your HDL.
With this in mind, let’s turn our attention back to the red meat conversation. If you’re eating unprocessed red meat, you’re raising your HDL and your LDL. But if you’re eating Partially Hydrogenated Oils such as vegetable oils and seed oils, you’re likely raising your LDL more than your HDL.
If you’re worried about raising your cholesterol levels in general, you should know that the healthy ‘range’ isn’t a foolproof indicator of health. Several studies have found that cholesterol isn’t always a reliable indicator of heart disease — 75% of heart attack patients fall into the recommended range for LDL cholesterol.
Misconception 4: Saturated fat will make me fat
This is a lie based on poor science and weak evidence, as well as decades of brainwashing from the poorly designed food pyramid.
Because while it’s true saturated fat has higher energy density than carbs and protein, adding more healthy sources to your diet won’t necessarily make you fat.
Let’s look at saturated fat as a part of a whole, real food diet. On a carnivore or low-carb diet, you’re eating plenty of red meat, eggs, and milk — easily consuming more saturated fat than conventional diets would recommend.
And yet, in a not-so-shocking twist of events, strict ketovore dieters rarely gain weight. They tend to lose dozens of pounds instead. Even their blood work shows reduced risks for heart disease.
Now, I don’t mean to suggest you can eat an unlimited amount of fat, especially if you’re currently struggling with obesity. If you’re looking to lose weight, you may have to reduce the amount of fat you consume. But eating fat as a whole will not ‘make you fat.’
It’s easy to see where the myth began. Here in the US, some of the most common sources of saturated fat include:
- Pizza
- Ice cream
- Doughnuts
- Burritos
- Tacos
As you can see, there’s much more in these foods than just saturated fat. And if you eat them consistently, there’s no question you’re going to gain weight.
But does this mean saturated fat is the problem?
It’s clearly more complex than that.
Looking at America’s alarming increase in metabolic disease, it’s clear that processed food — not whole, real food that’s been around for thousands of years — is what’s driving our obesity epidemic.
Making an informed decision
By now you can see that saturated fat is not the boogeyman. It’s not bad for your heart, it won’t raise your cholesterol, and it won’t make you fat.
I just want you to feel empowered to make your own decisions, and not feel stressed about eating whole, real foods. If you can cut out sugar, eat more protein, and reduce the amount of processed foods in your diet, you’ll be well on your way to restoring your metabolic health.
And I want to support you every step of the way.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and learn more about your metabolic health, you may be interested in my Heart Health Hub. This is a dedicated community of like-minded individuals who are focused on improving their metabolic health.