Macro partitioning
Modifying dietary fat by replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats reduces the risk of combined cardiovascular events by approximately 14% in adults, whereas simply reducing total fat intake without modification does not significantly reduce cardiovascular risk.
To lower your risk of heart disease, focus on the quality of your fats rather than just the quantity. Replace saturated fats (found in animal products) with unsaturated fats (found in plant oils and spreads). Simply cutting down on total fat without changing the types of fats you eat does not appear to reduce cardiovascular risk. Aim to maintain this modified diet for at least two years for the best results.
This updated review suggested that reducing saturated fat by reducing and/or modifying dietary fat reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 14% (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.96... Subgrouping suggested that this reduction in cardiovascular events was seen in studies of fat modification (not reduction...)
Why this rating
Based on a Cochrane systematic review of randomized controlled trials with over 65,000 participants, though heterogeneity (I2 50%) exists.
Source
Reduced or modified dietary fat for preventing cardiovascular disease
Lee Hooper et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2012
DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd002137.pub3
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- 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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