US Health Chief to Push for Saturated Fat Intake Amid Skeptical Expert Reactions
In a move that has left health experts scratching their heads, Robert F Kennedy Jr, currently serving as the US secretary of health and human services (HHS), plans to issue new dietary guidelines recommending increased consumption of saturated fats. This shift in guidance is jarring, given decades of conventional wisdom emphasizing the need for reduced saturated fat intake.
Critics, including a prominent researcher on saturated fats, Ronald Krauss, are questioning Kennedy's stance, citing research suggesting that reducing saturated fat may have limited benefits and replacing it with other nutrients could be more beneficial. However, these findings do not necessarily imply that saturated fats are harmless or neutral in their effects.
Kennedy's guidance would encourage Americans to incorporate more dairy, meat, and fresh vegetables into their diets, with the aim of driving this new approach into schools. While some researchers see potential benefits in shifting focus away from specific nutrients towards overall dietary patterns, others argue that Kennedy is cherry-picking data and creating a misleading narrative.
One such expert is Cheryl Anderson, an American Heart Association board member who serves as a professor at the University of California, San Diego's school of public health. She believes that current guidelines emphasizing saturated fat intake are based on sound science but may not be effective for everyone, particularly when consumed in excess.
Anderson emphasizes that nutrition science is complex and can be influenced by factors such as dietary patterns rather than specific nutrients. She also suggests that relying solely on observational data can make it challenging to draw firm conclusions.
Kennedy's new guidance will likely have implications for school lunches and military rations, where current guidelines cap saturated fat levels at around 10%. If Kennedy is successful in pushing these recommendations forward, this could lead to increased consumption of saturated fats in these settings, potentially impacting cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.
In a move that has left health experts scratching their heads, Robert F Kennedy Jr, currently serving as the US secretary of health and human services (HHS), plans to issue new dietary guidelines recommending increased consumption of saturated fats. This shift in guidance is jarring, given decades of conventional wisdom emphasizing the need for reduced saturated fat intake.
Critics, including a prominent researcher on saturated fats, Ronald Krauss, are questioning Kennedy's stance, citing research suggesting that reducing saturated fat may have limited benefits and replacing it with other nutrients could be more beneficial. However, these findings do not necessarily imply that saturated fats are harmless or neutral in their effects.
Kennedy's guidance would encourage Americans to incorporate more dairy, meat, and fresh vegetables into their diets, with the aim of driving this new approach into schools. While some researchers see potential benefits in shifting focus away from specific nutrients towards overall dietary patterns, others argue that Kennedy is cherry-picking data and creating a misleading narrative.
One such expert is Cheryl Anderson, an American Heart Association board member who serves as a professor at the University of California, San Diego's school of public health. She believes that current guidelines emphasizing saturated fat intake are based on sound science but may not be effective for everyone, particularly when consumed in excess.
Anderson emphasizes that nutrition science is complex and can be influenced by factors such as dietary patterns rather than specific nutrients. She also suggests that relying solely on observational data can make it challenging to draw firm conclusions.
Kennedy's new guidance will likely have implications for school lunches and military rations, where current guidelines cap saturated fat levels at around 10%. If Kennedy is successful in pushing these recommendations forward, this could lead to increased consumption of saturated fats in these settings, potentially impacting cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.
come on guys, dont be so skeptical 
I mean think about it, what's the harm in a lil extra fat 
? its not like were gonna turn into pigs or somethin 
. i swear theres always some new fad in health foods and nutrition 
. and whats with the obsession w/ saturated fats?! can we just get back to basics? eat what makes u happy, eat what makes u full! dont let the experts dictate ur diet irl 
i mean i know there are still some who think saturated fats aren't that bad but come on 10% is pretty strict for school lunches let kids eat a burger or something 
. I mean, think about it - we've been stuck on a diet that's all about restriction and deprivation for decades, and what's the result? A lot of people eating rabbit food because they're afraid of getting clogged arteries 
.
. We need a balanced diet that includes all kinds of fats, not just the ones that are 'good' or 'bad'. And have you seen the prices of avocados lately? 
It's crazy! A little saturated fat won't kill us, and it might even do some good.
.
. And what about the dairy and meat thing? Is it really gonna make a big difference? 
But now he's saying we should eat more of them? What's going on here? 
I mean, I get it, nutrition science can be complicated, but it seems like there's already a pretty clear consensus on saturated fats... and now we're supposed to just go with what Kennedy says? 
.
. Can someone please clarify what's going on here? 
I'd love to see more research on this topic before making any drastic changes to our diets 
. And what about the potential impact on schools and military rations? That's a whole other level of concern 
.
That's gotta be good for the dairy industry, right? 
. I'm all for looking at the bigger picture when it comes to nutrition, but this feels kinda like cherry-picking data to me 
... or is that just my skeptical side talking? 
too much of anything ain't good right? 
and now hes gonna push for more dairy, meat, and veggies in schools? that just sounds like a recipe for disaster 
and what really gets me is that these so called experts are already questioning his stance without even seeing the actual data 
i mean come on people, dont just cherry pick studies to fit your agenda 
️ It doesn't seem like a bad idea, but at the same time, I don't want to be eating all that cheese and meat all the time 
. I mean, isn't it better to focus on overall diet patterns rather than just one thing, you know? 
i dont wanna be a skeptic or anything, but this feels like cherry picking data to me...