London: A new study which
challenges the long-held belief that dietary fat is unhealthy for most people
claims that comsumption of saturated fat in diet may actually be good for you.
Researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway found
strikingly similar health effects of diets based on either lowly processed
carbohydrates or fats.
In the randomised controlled trial, 38 men with abdominal
obesity followed a dietary pattern high in either carbohydrates or fat, of
which about half was saturated. Fat mass in the abdominal region, liver and
heart was measured with accurate analyses, along with a number of key risk
factors for cardiovascular disease.
“The very high intake of total and saturated fat did not
increase the calculated risk of cardiovascular diseases,” said professor Ottar
Nygard. “Participants on the very-high-fat diet also had substantial
improvements in several important cardiometabolic risk factors, such as ectopic
fat storage, blood pressure, blood lipids (triglycerides), insulin and blood
sugar.” Both groups had similar intakes of energy, proteins, polyunsaturated
fatty acids, the food types were the same and varied mainly in quantity and
intake of added sugar was minimised.
“We here looked at effects of total and saturated fat in the
context of a healthy diet rich in fresh, lowly processed and nutritious foods,
including high amounts of vegetables and rice instead of flour-based products,”
said PhD candidate Vivian Veum. “The fat sources were also lowly processed,
mainly butter, cream and cold-pressed oils.” Total energy intake was within the
normal range. Even the participants with increased energy intake during the
study showed substantial reductions in fat stores and disease risk. “Our
findings indicate that the overriding principle of a healthy diet is not the
quantity of fat or carbohydrates, but the quality of the foods we eat,” said
PhD candidate Johnny Laupsa-Borge.
Saturated fat has been thought to promote cardiovascular
diseases by raising the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood.
The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition. -PTI
Source: DNA-5th-December-2016
http://epaper2.dnaindia.com/index.php?pagedate=2016-12-5&edcode=820009&subcode=820009&mod=1&pgnum=2
