Saturated Fat | 10 Reasons Why You Should Consume It

Since the 1950s, many so-called health gurus have claimed that saturated fat it's bad for us.

They claimed that it can raise cholesterol levels and give us heart attacks.

However, recent studies have found no link between the intake of saturated fat and heart disease.

In this article, we will share 10 reasons (that dietitians choose to ignore) why saturated fat is not the enemy and reasons not to fear it.

1. Heart disease is NOT caused by saturated fat

The truth is that the saturated fat can actually help reduce your risk of heart disease.

THE saturated fat can actually increase HDL (good) cholesterol by changing LDL (bad) cholesterol from a small, dense substance to a large, fluffy substance rendering it harmless.

A large review of 21 studies with a total of 347,747 participants, published in 2010, concluded that there is absolutely no association between saturated fats and heart disease ( 32 ).

2. Saturated fat may protect against stroke

Here is a surprise for you.

Not only the saturated fat is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease, but it may also decrease the risk of stroke, which is caused by bleeding or a blood clot in the brain ( 6 , 7 ).

3. Saturated fat raises your HDL levels

I'm sure you've heard about "good" versus "bad" cholesterol. Good cholesterol is called HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) and it's common knowledge that saturated fat raises HDL levels ( 8 , 9 ).

HDL levels are inversely correlated with cardiovascular disease, and the fact that saturated fat has a positive effect on HDL is something that nutrition policymakers have chosen to selectively ignore.

4. Foods with saturated fat are incredibly nutritious

The fact is that foods that are high in natural saturated fats are incredibly nutritious; meat, organ meats, and whole eggs are prime examples of this. Although these foods (like eggs) are high in cholesterol, this has no effect on heart disease ( 10 , 11 , 12 ).

5. These foods contain many fat-soluble vitamins.

Natural foods with high fat content contain many fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, E, D3 and K2.

An interesting example of a food that was demonized due to its high saturated fat content saturated fats it is the dairy product full of fat.

Ironically, some evidence suggests that full-fat dairy may be incredibly protective against heart disease, reducing risk by 69% in one large study, likely due to a high vitamin K2 content ( 13 ).

6. Diets with high fat content (and low carb) can help with weight loss

To the low carb diets tend to be high in fat, including saturated fats. These diets have incredible health benefits for people, including dramatically increased weight loss compared to their low-fat counterparts ( 14 , 15 , 16 ).

See the article Low Carb Diet for Beginners | Beginner's Guide

You absolutely must read this: 27 Studies on Low-Carb, Low-Fat Diets – It’s Time to Dispel the Myths

7. Saturated fats do not break down easily during high heat.

Saturated fats do not contain double bonds like unsaturated fats, which means they are more stable. When cooking, fats are exposed to both high heat and oxygen at the same time, and saturated fats are less likely to become oxidized (damaged) under these circumstances.

Therefore, saturated fats are a safer option for cooking.

8. Saturated fats are clean fuels

THE saturated fat It is a form of energy that the body can easily use and metabolize as a clean fuel.

The body actually uses saturated (and monounsaturated) fat as a form of energy storage, and the body can use this stored energy in healthy ways when food is scarce. It makes no sense that humans would evolve to store energy in a way that is unhealthy for them.

The fact is that every weight loss diet is a high saturated fat diet, because a large portion of the fatty acids in body fat are saturated, and during a calorie deficit, the body will burn body fat.

9. Watch people watch you eat saturated fat

It's hard to deny that it's fun to watch the faces of outdated nutritionists and vegans while you're enjoying your steak with melted butter at the restaurant. Then you can laugh like crazy when they tell you that you're going to die of a heart attack.

10. Saturated Fat is Delicious

Bacon, steak, whole eggs, cheese, sour cream, butter…