The UK is currently eating 20% more saturated fat than UK Government recommendations, according to surveys carried out by the Food Standards Agency.
The good news from the surveys was that most people (93%) had heard about saturated fat and more than half realised we should be eating less in our diet.
But the same people surveyed thought the biggest danger to their health were cancer and obesity followed by heart disease. They were unaware that cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and angina, is the biggest cause of early death in the UK. Currently CVD is responsible for around 200,000 deaths in the UK each year.
Furthermore, almost half of people questioned thought there was no need to be concerned about saturated fat in their diet if they exercised regularly, ate lots of fruit and vegetables and exercised regularly.
Saturated fats
Tim Smith, Food Standards Agency Chief Executive commented:
“People say they do know that saturated fat is bad for them but don’t necessarily link it to heart disease and what they are eating. It’s important that they make that connection because heart disease is the UKs number one killer – one in three of us will die as a result. There are simple ways we can cut down the amount of saturated fat we all eat and protect our health”
Highest contributers of saturated fat to the UK diet
1. Dairy products, including full fat milk and cheese (24%)
2. Meat and meat products including meat pies, pastries and burgers (22%)
3. Fat spreads, including butter (11%)
4. Biscuits, buns, cakes and pastries (8%)
5. Chocolate confectionary (5%)
Tips for reducing saturated fat in your diet
1. Eat more poultry and fish instead of red meat.
2. Trim the visible white fat from meat, and remove the skin from poultry.
3. Grill meat instead of frying
4. Use low(er) fat dairy products, such as skimmed or semi- skimmed milk, low fat yogurts and reduced fat cheeses
5. Check the labels on food. If food contains more than 5g/ of saturated fat per 100g, this is high. If it contains less than 1g of saturated fat per 100g of food, this is considered low.
The Food Standards Agency is also running a TV ad during February and March 2009 highlighting the dangers of eating too much saturated fat.
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A study has indicated that dietary and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce elevated levels of triglycerides (a type of blood fat) which is associated with heart, blood vessel and other diseases.
Changes such as substituting healthy, unsaturated dietary fats for saturated ones, engaging in physical activity and losing excess weight can decrease triglycerides by 20 percent to 50 percent, according to the American Heart Association scientific statement.
“The good news is that high triglycerides can, in large part, be reduced through major lifestyle changes,” said Michael Miller, chair of the statement committee and professor of medicine in epidemiology and public health and director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
“In contrast to cholesterol, where lifestyle measures are important but may not be the solution, high triglycerides are often quite responsive to lifestyle measures that include weight loss if overweight, changes in diet and regular physical activity,” added Miller.
Miller and co-authors analyzed more than 500 international studies from the past 30 years to formulate the scientific statement.
Recommended dietary changes for those outside the normal range of triglycerides include limiting:
•added sugar to less than 5 percent to 10 percent of calories consumed – about 100 calories per day for women and 150 calories per day for men.
•fructose from both processed foods and naturally occurring foods –less than 50 to 100 grams per day
•saturated fat to less than 7 percent of total calories
•trans fat to– less than 1 percent of total calories; and
•alcohol, especially if triglyceride levels are higher greater than 500 mg/dL
The statement has been published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.