Macro partitioning
Replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) reduces coronary heart disease (CHD) risk by 2-3% for every 1% of energy substituted, whereas replacing SFA with low-quality carbohydrates (refined starches/sugars) provides no such benefit and may increase risk.
If you want to lower your heart disease risk by reducing saturated fats (like those in animal fats), you must replace them with unsaturated fats (like those in fish, nuts, or olive oil). Do not replace them with refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, or sugar, as this offers no cardiovascular benefit and may increase risk. Focus on the quality of the replacement, not just the reduction of fat.
each 1% of energy from PUFAs replacing SFAs reduces the occurrence of CHD events by 2%–3%... with little evidence available to conclude on the relative effect of replacement with n-6 PUFAs versus n-3 PUFAs.
Why this rating
Based on large prospective cohort studies (Li et al. 2015, PURE) and meta-analyses cited, though the paper is an editorial synthesizing these rather than primary RCT data.
Source
The big fat debate
Anne Marie Minihane · Nutrition Bulletin · 2017
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