A recent study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2021 revealed that people who consume saturated fatty acids (SFA) from meat could be at increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, while those who rely on dairy sources or switch to grains and fruit and vegetables could be protected.

The research examined the records of more than 114,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank who completed dietary assessments and looked at the development of CVD over more than 8 years of follow-up. Results from the study showed that the risk of total CVD increased by 19% for every 5% increase in energy consumption from meat SFA, while that for ischaemic heart disease rose by 21%. It also showed that replacing energy intake from meat SFA with either grains or fruits and vegetables reduced the risk of stroke by 14%.

The study emphasized the associations of saturated fat with CVD that vary by source.