Study: Consuming Fat Has No Correlation to Disease

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.

Updated May 13, 2018 by

Allison Lee

Allison is a freelance writer, fitness enthusiast, and long-time advocate of the ketogenic lifestyle. Once overweight, she contributes her success in losing over 75 lbs to both a low-carb, high-fat diet and moderate exercise. Residing in Tacoma, Washington, Allison enjoys getting out to explore the Pacific Northwest with her two children and taking in baseball games on lazy Sunday afternoons.

News, Science

Photo by Tom Sharrow/SoNourished.com

Once emphatically ingrained into our minds as detrimental to healthy living, it turns out that fats aren’t quite the dangerous macronutrient that health organizations once thought they were. In fact, the Journal of American Medicine published the results of an 8-year study of women on a low-fat diet protocol: the study showed no decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and stroke.¹ This study of post-menopausal women, commonly considered to be at high risk for heart disease, is a firm indication that a low fat diet isn’t the path to a healthy heart.

The presence of healthy fats in our diets is essential for proper body functions, like hormone regulation, cardiovascular function, and mental health. The low-fat myth that circulated for decades changed our diets for what may not have been the better. Along with a flood of products on grocery shelves labeled as ‘low-fat’ and ‘non-fat’ came a need to make low-fat foods more palatable, commonly by replacing fat with sugar.

Fat vs. Sugar

So which is worse – fat or sugar? In the grand scheme, both can have their advantages with consideration. However, it’s clear that healthy fats come out on top as the clear winner as a vital part of healthy body function. Anyone on a ketogenic diet could likely attest to the fact that eliminating sugar and increasing their intake of healthy fats has caused several improvements in their health.

Essential Dietary Fat

A diet without fat can lead to some pretty adverse effects on our bodies, including depression, insulin resistance, vitamin deficiency and, oddly, weight gain.

Fat lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases HDL (good) cholesterol.
Fat takes longer to digest – making us feel fuller for longer.
Omega-3 fatty acids are vital for healthy brain function and reduced risk of depression.
Many vitamins, like A, D, and K, are absorbed only when fat is present.

These benefits, of course, come with the consideration that we’re referring to healthy fats. Trans fats should still be avoided because they can raise your LDL cholesterol and trigger heart disease. Healthy fats, like those that come from nuts, avocado, olive oil, and fatty fish like salmon, can have a dramatic impact on a healthy diet.

Sugar – The New Bad Boy?

On the flip side, sugar has been gaining ground in replacing fat as the culprit for many of the world’s health issues. While, for some, a moderate amount of whole grain carbohydrates is perfectly acceptable in their diet, many people find that the elimination of carbs and sugar has a profound effect on their wellbeing.

Sugar raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduces HDL (good) cholesterol.²
Carbohydrates digest quickly, often causing an insulin spike and subsequent increase in hunger shortly afterward.
The consumption of sugar is linked to heart disease and high blood pressure.³

It’s clear to see that fat’s bad reputation for decades may have been unwarranted, especially in light of new evidence that sugar may have the greater impact on health. Not only is fat essential for body function, using real fat in your diet could help you shy away from replacing those fats with detrimental sugar consumption. With no evidence to prove that going low fat has any benefit to improving the risk of cardiovascular disease, it may be a great time to get started on that keto diet!

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Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD

This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD.