Overview
- A December 2025 risk‑stratified review in Annals of Internal Medicine pooled 17 randomized trials with 66,337 participants followed for at least two years.
- Among people at high cardiovascular risk, reducing or modifying saturated fat was associated with lower all-cause mortality and fewer major cardiovascular events.
- For low to intermediate risk groups, the analysis found little or no absolute benefit over roughly five years.
- The strongest reduction in nonfatal heart attacks occurred when saturated fats were replaced by polyunsaturated fats rather than simply reduced.
- Across trials, total and LDL cholesterol fell with lower saturated fat intake, though overall evidence certainty was low to moderate and experts urged caution on guideline changes.