Saturated fats do not clog arteries and do not increase the risk of heart attack, according to three cardiologists in their work published in the "British Journal of Sports Medicine".
They argue that reliance on foods labeled as "low-fat" and "anti-cholesterol" is wrong, and that "there is no association between saturated fat consumption and overall mortality, heart disease, death from heart attack, stroke, or type 2 diabetes in healthy adults." .
However, they say that the Mediterranean type of diet and 22 minutes of walking a day is the best way to prevent the occurrence of heart problems.
The work published by Pascal Meyer, a cardiologist at University College London and editor of the journal "BMJ Open Heart", Rita Redberg, editor of the American journal "JAMA Internal Medicine" and Asim Malhotra, a cardiologist at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage (Great Britain), triggered fierce criticism. from various cardiology experts. Some say their views are not based on verifiable evidence at all and are causing further confusion among the public about which foods to eat and which to avoid.
Experts who reject the idea that avoiding saturated fat prevents heart disease, claim that all problems can be avoided with a "non-restrictive Mediterranean diet with at least four tablespoons of olive oil a day".
Critics, on the other hand, accuse them of being naive and ignoring evidence that contradicts their theory.
Dr Gavin Sandercock, director of the Essex University research centre, dismissed their claims about the benefits of "replacing refined carbohydrates with healthy fatty foods" as incorrect and without evidence. "We must continue to study the complex relationship between fat, cholesterol and heart disease, but we must not trade one myth for another," he said.
On the other hand, some have supported them, with Dr Mary Hannon Fletcher, who heads Ulster University's medical department, saying their advice was "the best thing she's read in years".
"Walking for 22 minutes a day and eating real food. That's an excellent message to the public. The modern idea of a healthy diet, which includes eating low-fat and low-calorie foods, is not healthy. All those foods have been changed to make them low-fat and not healthy at all. Real food in moderation amounts and daily exercise are the key to health and vitality, but it's too simple a message for people to accept as advice," she believes.
Other experts, such as nutritionist Gaynor Bassel, believe that scientists are on the right track, but that the diet should not contain 41 percent of fat, as they recommend, but a maximum of 11 percent, reports the Guardian.
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