In recent months a Harvard study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition caused a sensation with its conclusion that dietary saturated fat is not correlated with the development of heart disease.  As expected, to counter 40 years of medical advice to consumers to avoid saturated fat, has caused a backlash. Even Harvard has revised their initial findings, stating that lowering the saturated fat content of the diet can lower the risk  heart disease, depending on what replaces the saturated fat in the diet. Duh!   

Once again, this demonstrates the problem with nutritionism and reductionist thinking when studying foods and health risks. A study to truly identify the issues with saturated fat or any other single element found in food can never be accurate because the whole diet of each person who either develops heart disease or not, needs to be examined.  Phytonutrients, found in high amount in fruits, vegetable, grains and legumes are the great modifiers of all natural nutrients found in food and a saturated fat diet that contains plenty of these foods as well as appropriate amount of EFAs and monounsaturated fat, is going to be fine. Why is this so hard to understand? It does seem like a waste of research money that they keep going over this ground.  Here are two takes on this subject from fairly normal people.

Nutrition Data Blog

Steve Parker, Md.

Abstract of the Harvard Study