- Posted December 18, 2025
Cutting Saturated Fat Helps Those at Risk for Heart Disease, Review Finds
People who are already at risk for heart disease may see the biggest health benefit from cutting back on saturated fat, according to a new review.
The analysis — published Dec. 16 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine — found that people with a higher chance of developing heart problems had fewer heart attacks and strokes when they reduced saturated fat in their diets. For people without those risks, the same benefit was not clearly seen over a five-year period.
The findings come as the federal government prepares to update its dietary guidelines.
The review looked at results from more than a dozen clinical trials involving more than 66,000 people. Researchers examined how lowering saturated fat affected heart health, cholesterol levels and overall death rates.
Saturated fat is found in foods like butter, steak, pizza, ice cream and many processed foods and meats.
“Our results are thus a small piece of the evidence used in informing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” study co-author Bradley Johnston told The Wall Street Journal. He’s an associate professor of nutrition at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Experts say limiting saturated fats is the best dietary advice to prevent high cholesterol for most folks.
Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston, reviewed the findings.
“You can’t measure something that hasn’t developed yet in people who don’t have disease,” Lichtenstein, who was not involved in the study, said. “But the whole idea is you want to prevent it.”
The review also found that what replaces saturated fat matters.
Folks who swapped saturated fats for polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in fatty fish or canola oil, had lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and a reduced risk of heart disease.
Federal dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to less than 10% of daily calories, while the American Heart Association advises an even lower limit of under 6%.
The push to reduce saturated fat began in the 1960s and has shaped food choices for decades. Still, researchers note that not all foods with saturated fat affect health the same way.
For example, processed meats like hot dogs are also high in sodium, which raises blood pressure. Meanwhile, some dairy foods, such as milk and yogurt, have been linked to better blood sugar control and weight management.
But Lichtenstein cautioned against using one study to change nutrition policy.
One systematic review shouldn’t have a major effect on policy without a broader body of evidence, she said.
More information
The American Heart Association has more on saturated fats.
SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 16, 2025
