Eating saturated fat can increase risk of heart disease, reveals Oxford University study

As per new research conducted from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, there may be a probable relationship between consuming saturated fat from meat and getting heart diseases The results of new research involving over 100,000 people were recently revealed at the ESC Congress 2021. 

The research author Dr. Rebecca Kelley from the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, stated "The association seen between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease risk in observational studies has previously been unclear; our findings are important because they provide a possible explanation -- that the relationship may vary depending on the food source." 

She further said that they have discovered saturated fat which is acquired from the meat is related to a greater risk of heart diseases compared to other sources of food. She continued those individuals who ate a lot of meat also had a higher body mass index (BMI) than lower consumers. 

Cardiovascular disease is considered to be the world's major cause of mortality and impairment. Saturated fat consumption is associated with greater levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or in simple words, bad cholesterol, which raises the chance of heart disease. 

Various kinds of saturated fat-rich meals, notably meat and dairy, might have several correlations with cardiovascular disease, according to some studies. As a result, this research has looked into the relationship between how saturated fat from various diets is connected with ischemic heart disease, stroke, and overall cardiovascular disease such as heart illness and stroke combined. 

How the research has been conducted 

A total of 114,285 UK Biobank individuals were enrolled in the research, all of whom were clear of cardiovascular disease at the beginning. Participants filled out dietary questionnaires in which they were asked what they consumed the day before in order to evaluate their daily consumption of overall saturated fat and unhealthy fats from various other foods such as milk products and meat. They also had samples of blood and body measurements obtained, as well as finished answering a thorough lifestyle survey. 

The researchers followed the individuals for nearly 8.5 years to see if they acquired any cardiovascular illness, using data from connected hospitals and death records. Overall, 4,365 participants suffered from cardiovascular disease, while 3,394, from heart disease, and stroke occurred in 1,041 individuals, throughout the follow-up term. 

The outcome of the research 

The information was further evaluated to see whether there were any connections between total saturated fat intake and unhealthy fat from various foods and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Multiple behavioural, socioeconomic, and medical variables were taken into consideration in the studies. 

While there were no apparent links between the total saturated fat and the higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, on the other hand, it is observed that ingesting 5% more of the total energy from saturated fat from meat was linked to 19% greater risks of overall cardiovascular disease and 21% heart disease, although the correlations were no longer significant when BMI was taken into consideration. 

Researchers also discovered that Saturated Fatty Acid from dairy was linked to heart disease in a contradictory way, however, this link was unclear after BMI was taken into consideration. 

Clear remarks of Dr. Rebecca Kelley on the research 

According to Dr. Kelly, she further stated the result that the findings imply that variations in BMI may play a role in the link between cardiovascular disease and unhealthy fats from meat. It's impossible to say if this is due to a particular effect of saturated fat in meat on BMI or due to those who have a higher BMI eat more meat. Furthermore, since cholesterol-lowering drug usage is higher in UK adults, it is hard to properly untangle whether some of the impact of saturated fat on cardiovascular disease is due to increased LDL cholesterol in this sample. 

At last, Dr. Kelly concluded, "We recommend following the dietary guidelines advice to consume less than 10 percent of daily energy from saturated fat. Our findings emphasise the importance of studying the different food sources of saturated fat when examining the risk of cardiovascular disease. Further research is needed to ensure that these observations were not influenced by dietary or non-dietary factors that were not measured in this study." 

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