Restricting Saturated Fat May not be Required to Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: a Narrative Review

The purpose of this review was to determine whether the recommendation to reduce saturated fatty acid (SFA) consumption to treat or prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) is relevant in the context of current peer-reviewed, evidence-based literature. A literature review regarding SFA and CVD was conducted using articles from 2011 to 2018 through PubMed. Three hundred seventy-four articles were found, of which 211 were excluded. The remainder included 37 primary research articles and 21 reviews. All of the publications were examined using the Evidence Analysis Library Quality Criteria. Existing evidence supporting a reduction in SFA to treat/prevent CVD is limited and conflicting.