Fatty foods are often singled out and blamed for all evil. Right or wrong ? Research on the subject is multiplying and opinions diverge. A new study from the University of Bergen, Norway, should delight aficionados of cheese, butter or even cream:it explains that a diet rich in saturated fats could be beneficial for your health, in particular by helping to fight against cardiovascular diseases!
To prove this, the researchers carried out a life-size test on 46 obese men. Half of them were given a strict low-fat, high-carb diet. Meanwhile, the other half ate fewer carbs but doubled their saturated fat intake. As a result, both groups lost about 12 pounds, reducing the risk of obesity-related diseases like hypertension or diabetes. "In your diet, you can get energy from carbs or fat, it doesn't make a big difference," confirmed Dr. Simon Dankel, the study's originator.
Good news, which must however be put into perspective:this test did not include trans fats and the participants ate a lot of vegetables, without ever exceeding 2,100 calories per day!