From the heart - 'Saturated fat is not the major issue'

The risk from saturated fat in foods such as butter, cakes and fatty meat is being overstated and demonised, according to a cardiologist.

Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiology registrar at Croydon University Hospital, London, says the "mantra that saturated fat must be removed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease has dominated dietary advice and guidelines for almost four decades". It is time to "bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease". Writing in an opinion piece in the British Medical Journal, he says there is too much focus on fat with other factors such as sugar often overlooked. 

But the British Heart Foundation said there was conflicting evidence.

It added reducing cholesterol through drugs or other means does lower heart risk. Studies on the link between diet and disease have led to dietary advice and guidelines on how much saturated fat, particularly cholesterol, it is healthy to eat.

Adopting a Mediterranean diet - olive oil, nuts, oily fish, plenty of fruit and vegetables and a moderate amount of red wine - after a heart attack is almost three times as powerful in reducing mortality as taking a statin, writes Dr Malhotra.

However, Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, says studies on the link between diet and disease frequently produce conflicting results.  Unlike drug trials, it is difficult to carry out a controlled, randomised study, he says.  Click here to view on BBC/Health

Click on the title 'Saturated fat is not the major issue' to view the full text of this article in BMJ