Saturated Fat
© Healthline.com
Once again, saturated fat is found not guilty [yes, once again]

I suppose that what I am about to tell you is pretty much old hat. Many people, including me, have been saying - for many years - that saturated fat has no impact on cardiovascular disease. Never has, never will. The scientific support for it has always been non-existent, and the hypothesis has always been complete fact-free, evidence-free, thought-free, nonsense.

Indeed, it is more likely that saturated fat may have beneficial effects. It certainly does if you replace fat in the diet with carbs, carbs, carbs ... and more carbs. Which is what most people have done. Happily following the idiotic advice of nutritional experts around the world.

Anyway, mainly so that I can sit back and say, 'I told you so' once again, here is the abstract from a paper that was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology a couple of weeks ago 'Saturated fat: villain and bogeyman in the development of cardiovascular disease?'1

Key comment - to be found at the end.
'...there is no scientific ground to demonize SFA as a cause of CVD. SFA naturally occurring in nutrient-dense foods can be safely included in the diet.'
Abstract

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. For decades, the conventional wisdom has been that the consumption of saturated fat (SFA) undermines cardiovascular health, clogs the arteries, increases risk of CVD and leads to heart attacks. It is timely to investigate whether this claim holds up to scientific scrutiny.

Objectives

The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss recent scientific evidence on the association between dietary SFA and CVD.

Methods

PubMed, Google scholar and Scopus were searched for articles published between 2010 and 2021 on the association between SFA consumption and CVD risk and outcomes. A review was conducted examining observational studies and prospective epidemiologic cohort studies, RCTs, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies and prospective epidemiologic cohort studies and long-term RCTs.

Results

Collectively, neither observational studies, prospective epidemiologic cohort studies, RCTs, systematic reviews and meta-analyses have conclusively established a significant association between SFA in the diet and subsequent cardiovascular risk and CAD, MI or mortality nor a benefit of reducing dietary SFAs on CVD rick, events and mortality. Beneficial effects of replacement of SFA by polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat or carbohydrates remain elusive.

Conclusions

Findings from the studies reviewed in this paper indicate that the consumption of SFA is not significantly associated with CVD risk, events or mortality. Based on the scientific evidence, there is no scientific ground to demonize SFA as a cause of CVD. SFA naturally occurring in nutrient-dense foods can be safely included in the diet.

Will this paper have any effect on anything? Will it heck!

Although maybe, just maybe, a few people out there will stop for a moment to ponder the known fact, verily the truth, that saturated fat causes cardiovascular disease. As for the rest ...

'Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he just picks himself up and stumbles on.' Winston Churchill

Just so I am not accused of sexism. Women do this do too. Please now write out one hundred times:

Saturated fat does not cause cardiovascular disease

Saturated fat does not cause cardiovascular disease

Saturated fat does not cause cardiovascular disease rpt x 97

1. Saturated fat: villain and bogeyman in the development of cardiovascular disease?

Postscript


In my last blog I asked the question. Why did COVID19 lead to a spike in overall mortality in England, but not (or far less so) in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland? In a number of age groups, there was no impact on mortality - at all.

The most likely answer, I think, is the proportion of 'non-white'* people living in each country. England has far more non-white people. Around 18% - it is difficult to be absolutely certain about this figure. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it is about 4%, maybe even less in Northern Ireland.

This difference could also explain Sweden and Norway. The Norwegians do not publish data on 'race.' It is considered racist to do so. Which of course leads to problems in situations like this where you might need the data to help protect those of different races.

So, ironically, it could be considered racist to have no data on different races? Discuss. However, the estimate is that around 3% of the Norwegian population is 'non-white.' In Sweden the proportion is very similar to that in England.

Therefore, my working hypothesis is that non-white people living in countries at a high latitude, are significantly more likely to be vitamin D deficient.
'Non-white populations in Europe are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency than their white counterparts. For example, compared with white populations in the United Kingdom, Norway, and Finland, the non-white population subgroups have 3- to 71-fold higher yearly prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.' 1
Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of mortality from COVID19:
'The all-cause 30-day mortality was 13.8% in the group of patients with sufficient plasma 25(OH)D levels and 32.1% among those with deficient plasma 25(OH)D levels. Cox regression showed that plasma 25(OH)D levels remained a significant predictor of mortality even after adjusting for the covariates sex, age, length of the delay between symptom onset and hospitalization, and disease severity.

Conclusion

Vitamin D deficiency predicts higher mortality risk in adults with COVID-19' 2
The ratio between 13.8% and 32.1% is 2.3. Which is big.

A number of people suggested race, and vitamin D, as a possibly hypothesis. I agree with them. Now, what are we going to do about it ...before winter arrives that is. I recommend several thousand units of vitamin D each day, until March.

I recommend this for everyone.

I would like to reinforce this, because other studies have shown that giving people Vitamin D, once they are infected, does nothing. It is too late. So, start now. In this case prevention truly is better than (no) cure.

*I use the term non-white as it appears to be most acceptable way of describing those who are not, genetically, native to countries such as England. I do realise that whatever term is used to try and describe 'racial difference' some people will be offended. This is the reason why the term BAME: black, Asian and minority ethic is not being used anymore (Please be assured that I mean no offence).

Notes:

1: Vitamin D deficiency in Europe: pandemic?
2: Vitamin D deficiency predicts 30-day hospital mortality of adults with COVID-19