Research

Macro partitioning

Replacing saturated fatty acids with refined carbohydrates or animal protein increases CVD risk, whereas replacing them with unsaturated fats, plant protein, or complex carbohydrates reduces or has a neutral impact on CVD risk.

If you reduce saturated fat, ensure you replace it with unsaturated fats (like olive oil or nuts), plant proteins (beans, lentils), or complex carbohydrates (whole grains). Avoid replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates (sugar, white flour) or animal proteins, as these substitutions may increase cardiovascular risk.

ModerateConditionalMEDIUM confidence
Isocaloric substitutions were associated with a higher risk for CVD when saturated fats were replaced with refined carbohydrates and protein from meat, but a reduced or neutral impact when replaced with plant-based protein, unsaturated fat, or complex carbohydrates.
Monica Perna et al. · Nutrients · 2022

Why this rating

Based on 5 prospective cohort studies with mixed results for specific substitutions.

Source

Saturated Fatty Acid Chain Length and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review

Monica Perna et al. · Nutrients · 2022

DOI 10.3390/nu15010030

systematic_reviewCited 125×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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