Changes could be coming to US dietary guidelines: If public comments by Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are any indication, Americans could see a big difference when it comes to saturated fat.
In July Kennedy said at the meeting The National Governors Association said the new recommendations would be “common sense” and “emphasize the need to eat saturated fat, dairy, good meats, and fresh meats and vegetables.” He has are called guidelines that promote low-fat dairy products compared to full “legacy” versions. He also has praised fast food chains who converted their fryers from vegetable oil to beef tallow. Beef fat is 50% saturated fat..
It is known that saturated fats increase risk heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. For 45 years, Federal Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans are eating less of them.
The Departments of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture update dietary guidelines every five years; The 2025 update has not yet been released. Historically, they rely on the recommendations of an expert advisory committee, which spends two years reviewing the latest research and publishing a detailed report.
Current expert committee published his report nearly a year ago and endorsed the existing saturated fat recommendation: Americans should limit their saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories starting at age 2, replacing them with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats. He added that Americans should try to get unsaturated fats from plant sources.
Kennedy's comments suggest the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services may ignore the committee's recommendations on the 2025 dietary guidelines, said Eric Rimm, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. School of Public Health. Chana. “We’re all waiting to read it,” he said.
HHS spokeswoman Emily Hilliard said in an email: “Secretary Kennedy is committed to new dietary guidelines based on rigorous science. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be an important part of the Trump Administration's commitment to making America healthy again.”
What is saturated fat?
Saturated fats include butter, lard and shortening. They are typically solid at room temperature and are naturally found in beef, pork, poultry, full-fat dairy products and eggs, as well as coconut and palm oils. They are often added to processed foods such as savory snacks, desserts, and prepared meals.
Polyunsaturated fatsOn the other hand, at room temperature they are usually liquid and usually in the form of oils. Canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats. The same can be said for fatty fish such as anchovies, herring, salmon, sardines and striped bass, as well as nuts and seeds, as well as soybeans and tofu.
Processed foods and fats and oils account for almost 42% saturated fats in the American diet. The next largest source is dairy products (about 28%), followed by meat (22%).
What does the data say about saturated fat and health?
In its report last year, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reviewed randomized controlled trials as well as observational studies that followed thousands of people over decades.
“The research is pretty clear,” said epidemiologist Cheryl Anderson, a committee member and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Longevity Science at the University of California, San Diego. Decades of evidence show that eating saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol and contributes to cardiovascular disease, she said.
Too much LDL cholesterol — so-called bad cholesterol — can combine with fats and other substances to form a thick, hard substance called plaque that accumulates on the inner walls of blood vessels. decreased blood flow.
“If you obstruct blood flow to the heart, you will have a heart attack. If you obstruct blood flow to the brain, you will have a stroke,” said Dr. Clyde Yancey, chief of the department of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Here are some of the committee's findings, which have strong scientific evidence:
- Replacing butter with vegetable oils and spreads containing mostly unsaturated fats reduces LDL cholesterol levels.
- Replacing red meat with whole grains, vegetables or plant-based protein sources is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Replacing oils high in saturated fat with vegetable oils high in unsaturated fat lowers LDL cholesterol.
- Replacing red meat with white meat is not associated with a difference in cardiovascular disease risk.
Research on dairy products—milk, cheese and yogurt—and cardiovascular health is limited, according to the committee. Until more definitive research is done, he advised the government to continue advising people to eat skim or low-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese.
How to Eat Less Saturated Fat
According to nutrition experts, reducing the consumption of foods high in saturated fat is important for both adults and children, with the exception of infants, who need a high-fat diet to grow quickly.
“You start depositing fatty deposits on the lining of blood vessels during childhood,” said Dr. Mark Corkins, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' nutrition committee and chief of pediatric gastroenterology at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “We may not notice coronary artery disease until you're middle-aged or older, but that's when it starts.”
To reduce saturated fat intake, nutrition experts advise parents and adults to focus on foods rather than individual nutrients.
“The best thing to do is to think about changing your entire diet, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less processed meat, and if you're going to eat red meat, eat smaller portions,” Rimm said.
The committee recommends getting less protein from meat and more from beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy. He also recommends using less butter, coconut oil and palm oil and more vegetable oils that are high in unsaturated fat.
Olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fats and is considered a healthy alternative to saturated fats. Vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fats, such as corn, canola and soybean, are seed oilswhich have come under a recent wave of criticism, especially on social media, including from Kennedy, who wrote on X that Americans are “unknowingly being poisoned” by vegetable oils.
“It's really confusing to scientists,” said Christina Petersen, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Pennsylvania who studies diet and heart disease risk. She said collective research shows that consuming seed oils is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. “There is no evidence that they are harmful.”
Northwestern University's Yancey said there are several “undeniably beneficial” diets people can follow: Mediterranean dietthe DASH diet and a combination of the two called UM diet.
When the government finally releases the latest dietary guidelines for Americans, no matter what they say, Yancey urges everyone to “be much more aware of what healthy living means, seek conversations with trusted health professionals, and seek truthful advice.”
