Saturated Fat - Not Just Bad for Your Heart

 

The negative effects on cardiovascular health of a diet high in saturated fat has been well known for decades. Now a 2019 study has concluded that it is also a factor in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. As the name implies, the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells.

The main complication of NAFLD is cirrhosis, which is late-stage scarring in the liver. Cirrhosis occurs in response to liver injury, such as inflammation. As the liver tries to halt inflammation, it produces areas of scarring (fibrosis). With continued inflammation, fibrosis spreads to take up more and more liver tissue.

If the process isn't interrupted, cirrhosis can lead to:

• Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites)
• Swelling of veins in your esophagus (esophageal varices), which can rupture and bleed
• Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
• Liver cancer
• End-stage liver failure, which means the liver has stopped functioning

In the 2019 study, researchers randomly assigned 60 overwieight people to gain about 5 pounds by adding muffins made with either palm oil (a saturated fat) or safflower oil (a polyunsaturated fat) to the regular diet. After eight weeks, liver fat increased by an average of 53% in the palm oil group but not at all in those eating the safflower oil.

Earlier studies reported similar results with coconut oil, butter and blue cheese.

Palm oil is exceedingly common in baked goods because of its stable shelf life.