Can Saturated Fats Be Healthy?

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Saturated Fat: What’s The Truth?

We asked you for your health-related opinion of saturated fat, and got the above-pictured, below-described, set of results.

  • Most recorded votes were for “Saturated fat is good, but only some sources, and/or in moderation”
    • This is an easy one to vote for, because of the “and/or in moderation” part, which tends to be a “safe bet” for most things.
  • Next most popular was “Saturated fat is terrible for the health and should be avoided”
  • About half as many recorded votes were for “I’m not actually sure what makes saturated fat different”, which is a very laudable option to click. Admitting when we don’t know things (and none of us know everything) is a very good first step to learning about them!
  • Fewest recorded votes were for “Saturated fat is the best source of energy; we should get plenty”.

So, what does the science say?

First, a bit of physics, chemistry, and biology

You may be wondering what, exactly, saturated fats are “saturated” with. That’s a fair question, so…

All fats have a molecular structure made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen, and thus have only single bonds between carbon atoms (unsaturated fats have at least one double-bond between carbon atoms).

The observable effect this has on them, is that fats that are saturated with hydrogen are solid at room temperature, whereas unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Their different properties also make for different interactions inside the human body, including how likely or not they are to (for example) clog arteries.

See also: Could fat in your bloodstream cause blood clots?

Saturated fat is the best source of energy; we should get plenty: True or False?

False, in any reasonable interpretation, anyway. That is to say, if your idea of “plenty” is under 13g (e.g: two tablespoons of butter, and no saturated fat from other sources, e.g. meat) per day, then yes, by all means feel free to eat plenty. More than that, though, and you might want to consider trimming it down a bit.

The American Heart Association has this to say:

❝When you hear about the latest “diet of the day” or a new or odd-sounding theory about food, consider the source.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats, which are found in butter, cheese, red meat and other animal-based foods, and tropical oils.

Decades of sound science has proven it can raise your “bad” cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease.❞

Source: The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations on Saturated Fat

The British Heart Foundation has a similar statement:

❝Despite what you read in the media, our advice is clear: replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats and avoid trans fats. Saturated fat is the kind of fat found in butter, lard, ghee, fatty meats and cheese. This is linked to an increased risk of heart and circulatory disease❞

Source: British Heart Foundation: What does fat do and what is saturated fat?

As for the World Health Organization:

❝1. WHO strongly recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake

2. WHO suggests further reducing saturated fatty acid intake to less than 10% of total energy intake

3. WHO strongly recommends replacing saturated fatty acids in the diet with polyunsaturated fatty acids; monounsaturated fatty acids from plant sources; or carbohydrates from foods containing naturally occurring dietary fibre, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses.❞

Source: Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline

Please note, organizations such as the AHA, the BHF, and the WHO are not trying to sell us anything, and just would like us to not die of heart disease, the world’s #1 killer.

As for “the best source of energy”…

We evolved to eat (much like our nearest primate cousins) a diet consisting mostly of fruits and other edible plants, with a small supplementary amount of animal-source protein and fats.

That’s not to say that because we evolved that way we have to eat that way—we are versatile omnivores. But for example, we are certainly not complete carnivores, and would quickly sicken and die if we tried to live on only meat and animal fat (we need more fiber, more carbohydrates, and many micronutrients that we usually get from plants)

The closest that humans tend to come to doing such is the ketogenic diet, which focuses on a high fat, low carbohydrate imbalance, to promote ketosis, in which the body burns fat for energy.

The ketogenic diet does work, and/but can cause a lot of health problems if a lot of care is not taken to avoid them.

See for example: 7 Keto Risks To Keep In Mind

Saturated fat is terrible for the health and should be avoided: True or False?

False, if we are talking about “completely”.

Firstly, it’s practically impossible to cut out all saturated fats, given that most dietary sources of fat are a mix of saturated, unsaturated (mono- and poly-), and trans fats (which are by far the worst, but beyond the scope of today’s main feature).

Secondly, a lot of research has been conducted and found insignificant or inconclusive results, in cases where saturated fat intake was already within acceptable levels (per the recommendations we mentioned earlier), and then cut down further.

Rather than fill up the newsletter with individual studies of this kind here’s a high-quality research review, looking at 19 meta-analyses, each of those meta-analyses having looked at many studies:

Dietary saturated fat and heart disease: a narrative review

Saturated fat is good, but only some sources, and/or in moderation: True or False?

True! The moderation part is easy to guess, so let’s take a look at the “but only some sources”.

We were not able to find any convincing science to argue for health-based reasons to favor plant- or animal-sourced saturated fat. However…

Not all saturated fats are created equal (there are many kinds), and also many of the foods containing them have additional nutrients, or harmful compounds, that make a big difference to overall health, when compared gram-for-gram in terms of containing the same amount of saturated fat.

For example:

  1. Palm oil’s saturated fat contains a disproportionate amount of palmitic acid, which raises LDL (“bad” cholesterol) without affecting HDL (“good” cholesterol), thus having an overall heart-harmful effect.
  2. Most animal fats contain a disproportionate amount of stearic acid, which has statistically insignificant effects on LDL and HDL levels, and thus is broadly considered “heart neutral (in moderation!)
  3. Coconut oil’s saturated fat contains a disproportionate amount of lauric acid, which raises total cholesterol, but mostly HDL without affecting LDL, thus having an overall heart-beneficial effect (in moderation!)

Do you know what’s in the food you eat?

Test your knowledge with the BHF’s saturated fat quiz!

Enjoy!

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  • Women take more antidepressants after divorce than men but that doesn’t mean they’re more depressed

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Research out today from Finland suggests women may find it harder to adjust to later-life divorce and break-ups than men.

    The study used population data from 229,000 Finns aged 50 to 70 who had undergone divorce, relationship break-up or bereavement and tracked their use of antidepressants before and after their relationship ended.

    They found antidepressant use increased in the four years leading to the relationship dissolution in both genders, with women experiencing a more significant increase.

    But it’s too simplistic to say women experience poorer mental health or tend to be less happy after divorce than men.

    Remind me, how common is divorce?

    Just under 50,000 divorces are granted each year in Australia. This has slowly declined since the 1990s.

    More couple are choosing to co-habitate, instead of marry, and the majority of couples live together prior to marriage. Divorce statistics don’t include separations of cohabiting couples, even though they are more likely than married couples to separate.

    Those who divorce are doing so later in life, often after their children grow up. The median age of divorce increased from 45.9 in 2021 to 46.7 in 2022 for men and from 43.0 to 43.7 for women.

    The trend of late divorces also reflects people deciding to marry later in life. The median duration from marriage to divorce in 2022 was around 12.8 years and has remained fairly constant over the past decade.

    Why do couples get divorced?

    Changes in social attitudes towards marriage and relationships mean divorce is now more accepted. People are opting not to be in unhappy marriages, even if there are children involved.

    Instead, they’re turning the focus on marriage quality. This is particularly true for women who have established a career and are financially autonomous.

    Similarly, my research shows it’s particularly important for people to feel their relationship expectations can be fulfilled long term. In addition to relationship quality, participants reported needing trust, open communication, safety and acceptance from their partners.

    Grey divorce” (divorce at age 50 and older) is becoming increasingly common in Western countries, particularly among high-income populations. While factors such as an empty nest, retirement, or poor health are commonly cited predictors of later-in-life divorce, research shows older couples divorce for the same reasons as younger couples.

    What did the new study find?

    The study tracked antidepressant use in Finns aged 50 to 70 for four years before their relationship breakdown and four years after.

    They found antidepressant use increased in the four years leading to the relationship break-up in both genders. The proportion of women taking antidepressants in the lead up to divorce increased by 7%, compared with 5% for men. For de facto separation antidepressant use increased by 6% for women and 3.2% for men.

    Within a year of the break-up, antidepressant use fell back to the level it was 12 months before the break-up. It subsequently remained at that level among the men.

    But it was a different story for women. Their use tailed off only slightly immediately after the relationship breakdown but increased again from the first year onwards.

    Woman sits at the beach
    Women’s antidepressant use increased again.
    sk/Unsplash

    The researchers also looked at antidepressant use after re-partnering. There was a decline in the use of antidepressants for men and women after starting a new relationship. But this decline was short-lived for women.

    But there’s more to the story

    Although this data alone suggest women may find it harder to adjust to later-life divorce and break-ups than men, it’s important to note some nuances in the interpretation of this data.

    For instance, data suggesting women experience depression more often than men is generally based on the rate of diagnoses and antidepressant use, which does not account for undiagnosed and unmedicated people.

    Women are generally more likely to access medical services and thus receive treatment. This is also the case in Australia, where in 2020–2022, 21.6% of women saw a health professional for their mental health, compared with only 12.9% of men.

    Why women might struggle more after separating

    Nevertheless, relationship dissolution can have a significant impact on people’s mental health. This is particularly the case for women with young children and older women.

    So what factors might explain why women might experience greater difficulties after divorce later in life?

    Research investigating the financial consequences of grey divorce in men and women showed women experienced a 45% decline in their standard of living (measured by an income-to-needs ratio), whereas men’s dropped by just 21%. These declines persisted over time for men, and only reversed for women following re-partnering.

    Another qualitative study investigating the lived experiences of heterosexual couples post-grey divorce identified financial worries as a common theme between female participants.

    A female research participant (age 68) said:

    [I am most worried about] the money, [and] what I’m going to do when the little bit of money I have runs out […] I have just enough money to live. And, that’s it, [and if] anything happens I’m up a creek. And Medicare is incredibly expensive […] My biggest expense is medicine.

    Another factor was loneliness. One male research participant (age 54) described he preferred living with his ex-wife, despite not getting along with her, than being by himself:

    It was still [good] knowing that [the] person was there, and now that’s gone.

    Other major complications of later-life divorce are possible issues with inheritance rights and next-of-kin relationships for medical decision-making.

    Separation can be positive

    For some people, divorce or separation can lead to increased happiness and feeling more independent.

    And the mental health impact and emotional distress of a relationship dissolution is something that can be counterattacked with resilience. Resilience to dramatic events built from life experience means older adults often do respond better to emotional distress and might be able to adjust better to divorce than their younger counterparts.The Conversation

    Raquel Peel, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland and Senior Lecturer, RMIT University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Ginger Does A Lot More Than You Think

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Ginger’s benefits go deep!

    You are doubtlessly already familiar with what ginger is, so let’s skip right into the science.

    The most relevant active compound in the ginger root is called gingerol, and people enjoy it not just for its taste, but also a stack of health reasons, such as:

    • For weight loss
    • Against nausea
    • Against inflammation
    • For cardiovascular health
    • Against neurodegeneration

    Quite a collection! So, what does the science say?

    For weight loss

    This one’s quite straightforward. It not only helps overall weight loss, but also specifically improves waist-hip ratio, which is a much more important indicator of health than BMI.

    Read: The effects of ginger intake on weight loss and metabolic profiles among overweight and obese subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

    Against nausea & pain

    Ginger has proven its effectiveness in many high quality clinical trials, against general nausea, post-surgery nausea, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and pregnancy-related nausea.

    Source: Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials

    However! While it very clearly has been shown to be beneficial in the majority of cases, there are some small studies that suggest it may not be safe to take close to the time of giving birth, or in people with a history of pregnancy loss, or unusual vaginal bleeding, or clotting disorders.

    See specifically: Ginger for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy

    As a side note on the topic of “trouble down there”, ginger has also been found to be as effective as Novafen (a combination drug of acetaminophen (Tylenol), caffeine, and ibuprofen), in the task of relieving menstrual pain:

    See: Effect of Ginger and Novafen on menstrual pain: A cross-over trial

    Against inflammation & pain

    Ginger has well-established anti-inflammatory (and, incidentally, which affects many of the same systems, antioxidant) effects. Let’s take a look at that first:

    Read: Effect of Ginger on Inflammatory Diseases

    Attentive readers will note that this means that ginger is not merely some nebulous anti-inflammatory agent. Rather, it also specifically helps alleviate delineable inflammatory diseases, ranging from colitis to Crohn’s, arthritis to lupus.

    We’ll be honest (we always are!), the benefits in this case are not necessarily life-changing, but they are a statistically significant improvement, and if you are living with one of those conditions, chances are you’ll be glad of even things described in scientific literature as “modestly efficacious”.

    What does “modestly efficacious” look like? Here are the numbers from a review of 593 patients’ results in clinical trials (against placebo):

    ❝Following ginger intake, a statistically significant pain reduction SMD = −0.30 ([95% CI: [(−0.50, −0.09)], P = 0.005]) with a low degree of inconsistency among trials (I2 = 27%), and a statistically significant reduction in disability SMD = −0.22 ([95% CI: ([−0.39, −0.04)]; P = 0.01; I2 = 0%]) were seen, both in favor of ginger.❞

    ~ Bartels et al.

    To de-mathify that:

    • Ginger reduced pain by 30%
    • Ginger reduced disability by 22%

    Read the source: Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials

    Because (in part) of the same signalling pathways, it also has benefits against cancer (and you’ll remember, it also reduces the symptoms of chemotherapy).

    See for example: Ginger’s Role in Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer

    For cardiovascular health

    In this case, its benefits are mostly twofold:

    Against neurodegeneration

    This is in large part because it reduces inflammation, which we discussed earlier.

    But, not everything passes the blood-brain barrier, so it’s worth noting when something (like gingerol) does also have an effect on brain health as well as the rest of the body.

    You do not want inflammation in your brain; that is Bad™ and strongly associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

    As well as reducing neuroinflammation, ginger has other relevant mechanisms too:

    ❝Its bioactive compounds may improve neurological symptoms and pathological conditions by modulating cell death or cell survival signaling molecules.

    The cognitive enhancing effects of ginger might be partly explained via alteration of both the monoamine and the cholinergic systems in various brain areas.

    Moreover, ginger decreases the production of inflammatory related factors❞

    ~ Arcusa et al.

    Check it out in full, as this is quite interesting:

    Role of Ginger in the Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases

    How much to take?

    In most studies, doses of 1–3 grams/day were used.

    Where to get it?

    Your local supermarket, as a first port-of-call. Especially given the dose you want, it may be nicer for you to have a touch of sliced ginger root in your cooking, rather than taking 2–6 capsules per day to get the same dose.

    Obviously, this depends on your culinary preferences, and ginger certainly doesn’t go with everything!

    If you do want it as a supplement, here is an example product on Amazon, for your convenience.

    Enjoy!

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  • The Minimum Method – by Joey Thurman

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Trying to squeeze out an extra 0.5% from every effort in life can be exhausting, especially with diminishing marginal returns when it comes to linear increases in effort.

    Surely there must be a sweet spot of getting the best returns on the least effort and call it a day?

    That’s what this book is about. Thurman examines and explains how to get “the most for least” in various important areas of health, including diet, exercise, sleep, breathwork, recovery, and a chapter specifically on brain health, though of course all the aforementioned things do affect brain health too.

    An interesting feature of the book is that at the end of each chapter, he’ll give different advice for different levels of experience/commitment, so that essentially there’s an easy/medium/hard way to proceed each time.

    The style is light and personal, without much hard science. The advice given is nonetheless consistent with prevailing scientific consensus, and there are still occasional scientific references throughout, with links to appropriate studies. Mostly though, the focus is on being practical.

    Bottom line: if you’ve been looking for a “most for least” way of going about health, this is a fine option.

    Click here to check out The Minimum Method, and enjoy benefits disproportionate to your effort!

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  • It’s OK That You’re Not OK – by Megan Devine

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Firstly, be aware: this is not a cheerful book. If you’re looking for something to life your mood after a loss, it will not be this.

    What, then, will you find? A reminder that grief is also the final translation of love, and not necessarily something to be put aside as quickly as possible—or even ever, if we don’t want to.

    Too often, society (and even therapists) will correctly note that no two instances of grief are the same (after all, no two people are, so definitely no two relationships are, so how could two instances of grief be?), but will still expect that if most people can move on quickly from most losses, that you should too, and that if you don’t then there is something pathological at hand that needs fixing.

    Part one of the book covers this (and more) in a lot of detail; critics have called it a diatribe against the current status quo in the field of grief.

    Part two of the book is about “what to do with your grief”, and addresses the reality of grief, how (and why) to stay alive when not doing so feels like a compelling option, dealing with grief’s physical side effects, and calming your mind in ways that actually work (without trying to sweep your grief under a rug).

    Parts three and four are more about community—how to navigate the likely unhelpful efforts a lot of people may make in the early days, and when it comes to those people who can and will actually be a support, how to help them to help you.

    In the category of criticism, she also plugs her own (paid, subscription-based) online community, which feels a little mercenary, especially as while community definitely can indeed help, the prospect of being promptly exiled from it if you stop paying, doesn’t.

    Bottom line: if you have experienced grief and felt like moving on was the right thing to do, then this book isn’t the one for you. If, on the other hand, your grief feels more like something you will carry just as you carry the love you feel for them, then you’ll find a lot about that here.

    Click here to check out “It’s OK That You’re Not OK”, and handle your grief in the way that makes sense to you.

    Don’t Forget…

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  • Eat to Beat Disease – by Dr. William Li

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Dr. William Li asks the important question: is your diet feeding disease, or defeating it?

    Because everything we put in our bodies makes our health just a little better—or just a little worse. Ok, sometimes a lot worse.

    But for most people, when it comes to diet, it’s a death of a thousand cuts of unhealthy food. And that’s what he looks to fix with this book.

    The good news: Dr. Li (while not advocating for unhealthy eating, of course), focuses less on what to restrict, and more on what to include. This book covers hundreds of such healthy foods, and ideas (practical, useful ones!) on incorporating them daily, including dozens of recipes.

    He mainly looks at five ways our food can help us with…

    1. Angiogenesis (blood vessel replacement)
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    3. Microbiome health (and all of its knock-on effects)
    4. DNA protection (and thus slower cellular aging)
    5. Immunity (defending the body while also reducing autoimmune problems)

    The style is simple and explanatory; Dr. Li is a great educator. Reading this isn’t a difficult read, but you’ll come out of it feeling like you just did a short course in health science.

    Bottom line: if you’d like an easy way to improve your health in an ongoing and sustainable way, then this book can help you do just that.

    Click here to check out Eat To Beat Disease, and eat to beat disease!

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  • Make Your Coffee Heart-Healthier!

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Health-Hack Your Coffee

    We have previously written about the general health considerations (benefits and potential problems) of coffee:

    The Bitter Truth About Coffee (or is it?)

    Today, we will broadly assume that you are drinking coffee (in general, not necessarily right now, though if you are, same!) and would like to continue to do so. We also assume you’d like to do so as healthily as possible.

    Not all coffees are created equal

    If you order a coffee in France or Italy without specifying what kind, the coffee you receive will be short, dark, and handsome and without sugar. Healthwise, this is not a bad starting point. However…

    • It will usually be espresso
    • Or it may be what in N. America is called a French press (in Europe it’s just called a cafetière)

    Both of these kinds of coffee mean that cafestol, a compound found in the oily part of coffee and which is known to raise LDL (“bad” cholesterol”), stays in the drink.

    Read: Cafestol and Kahweol: A Review on Their Bioactivities and Pharmacological Properties

    Also: Cafestol extraction yield from different coffee brew mechanisms

    If you’re reading that second one and wondering what a mocha pot or a Turkish coffee is, they are these things:

    So, wonderful as they are for those of us who love strong coffee, they also produce the highest in-drink levels of cafestol. If you’d like to cut the cafestol (for example, if you are keeping an eye on your LDL), we recommend…

    The humble filter coffee

    Whether by your favorite filter coffee machine or a pour-over low-tech coffee setup of the kind you could use even without an electricity supply, the filter keeps more than just the coffee grinds out; it keeps the cafestol out too; most of it, anyway, depending on what kind of filter you use, and the grind of the coffee:

    Physical characteristics of the paper filter and low cafestol content filter coffee brews

    What about instant coffee?

    It has very little cafestol in it. It’s up to you whether that’s sufficient reason to choose it over any other form of coffee (this coffee-lover could never)

    Want to make any coffee healthier?

    This one isn’t about the cafestol, but…

    If you take l-theanine (see here for our previous main feature about l-theanine), the l-theanine acts as a moderator and modulator of the caffeine, amongst other benefits:

    The Cognitive-Enhancing Outcomes of Caffeine and L-theanine: A Systematic Review

    As to where to get that, we don’t sell it, but here’s an example product on Amazon

    Enjoy!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails: