Macro partitioning
Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fats (PUFA/MUFA) significantly reduces cardiovascular disease risk and all-cause mortality, whereas replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates does not improve overall cardiovascular risk.
To lower your heart disease risk, swap high-saturated-fat foods (like fatty meats and full-fat dairy) for unsaturated fats found in plant oils (olive, canola), nuts, and seeds. Do not replace these fats with refined carbohydrates like white bread or sugar, as that fails to improve cardiovascular risk.
Replacing 5% of energy from saturated fats with equivalent energy from PUFA and MUFA was associated with estimated reductions in total mortality of 27%... and 13%... respectively... When dietary saturated fat is replaced with refined carbohydrates, LDL-C levels may decrease, but triglycerides and atherogenic small, dense LDL particles may increase while HDL-C decreases, thus not improving overall CVD risk
Why this rating
Based on large prospective cohort studies (Nurses' Health Study, Health Professionals Follow-up Study) and meta-analyses of RCTs, though some observational studies (PURE) show conflicting results.
Source
Top 10 dietary strategies for atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk reduction
Geeta Sikand et al. · American Journal of Preventive Cardiology · 2020
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