Macro partitioning
Dairy fat has a less adverse impact on cardiovascular disease risk compared to other animal fats (like meat), but it still increases CVD risk relative to unsaturated fatty acids.
Dairy fat (from cheese, butter, milk) is not as bad for your heart as fat from red meat, but it is still worse than unsaturated fats (like olive oil or fish). To protect your heart, limit high-fat dairy and replace it with unsaturated fats or whole grains. You don't need to eliminate dairy, but don't rely on it for heart health.
While dairy fat (milk, cheese) is associated with a slightly lower CVD risk compared to meat, dairy fat results in a significantly greater CVD risk relative to unsaturated fatty acids. When 5% of energy from dairy fat was replaced with an isocaloric amount of PUFA, risk of CHD was reduced by 26%... When 5% of energy from dairy fat was replaced with animal fat from non-dairy sources, risk of CHD increased by 6%.
Why this rating
Supported by large cohort studies (NHS, HPFS, EPIC) showing relative risks.
Source
Saturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease: Replacements for Saturated Fat to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
Michelle A. Briggs et al. · Healthcare · 2017
DOI 10.3390/healthcare5020029
More from this paper
- Replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or whole grains reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, whereas replacing SFA with refined carbohydrates does not reduce risk and may increase it.Strong
- Replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) lowers LDL cholesterol but has an unclear or neutral effect on clinical cardiovascular disease events and mortality compared to SFA.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
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- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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