Not all fats are the same, but is saturated fat bad for you? Learn about the saturated fat impact on your heart and what you can do about it.
One of the most controversial topics in the nutrition field is the effect of saturated fat on health. According to some experts, consuming even moderate amounts can negatively affect your health.
In contrast, others argue that they are not inherently harmful and can actually be part of a healthy diet. The following is an overview of what saturated fat is and what the latest findings say about its effect on health.
What is saturated fat?
Saturated fats are a category of fat compounds saturated with hydrogen molecules, making them solid at room temperature. Available in animal products (milk and meat) and tropical oils (coconut and palm oil), they’re commonly grouped with trans fat. However, some studies show that saturated fats may not be entirely to blame for an increase in heart disease risk.
Current recommendations emphasize a decrease in saturated fat intake to reduce the risk of heart disease. While it’s clear that saturated fat commonly increases some heart disease risk factors, more research is necessary to link it directly to heart disease risk.
Heart Disease Risk Factors
Various studies show that saturated fat increases heart disease risk factors such as high LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol. Although the link between saturated fat and heart disease risk factors is clear, a direct connection to heart disease is missing. Still, this difference is negligible if your goal is to decrease the risk of heart disease and improve your health.
In addition to heart disease, saturated fat has been associated with increased inflammation and mental decline. Some studies even show that saturated fat may have adverse effects on appetite, mental function, and metabolism.
Consuming Saturated Fat
When looking to limit your saturated fat intake, begin by reducing the amount of fast food and sugary baked goods in your diet. You should also take into account the amount of added sugars you consume and other lifestyle habits that are damaging.
However, some saturated fat foods may be part of a healthy diet including coconut oil and grass-fed whole milk yogurt. Talk with your doctor about which types of saturated fat foods are good and bad for your health.
The Outlook
Research shows that even though there may not be a direct connection to heart disease, saturated fat increases risk factors. Therefore, if you want to improve your heart health, it’s best to reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume.
Moreover, if you want to give your heart health an extra boost, try a daily supplement like HeartBeet Complete. Give your health the support it needs and take HeartBeet Complete while limiting your saturated fat intake.
