Replacing Sat-Fats With The Right Foods Reduces Heart Disease Risk

Science for a long time has advocated removal of saturated fatty acids from the diet as a way to cut the risk of cardiovascular disease. But no one made any recommendations about what to replace those fats with. To find out what was best, U.S. scientists analyzed questionnaire data collected over at least thirty years from 84,628 women and 42,908 men free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. They found that patients making lifestyle diet changes – specifically avoiding sat-fats – did best when they substituted unsaturated fats like vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds, as well as healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains. Those who turned to processed foods with low-quality carbohydrates from refined starches or sugars barely reduced the risk of heart disease.