Debunking Saturated Fat Myths on Keto with Dr. Bret Scher

You may wish to follow a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet to treat a medical condition such as diabetes or a serious mental illness like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or major depression. Do you have to worry about saturated fat on a ketogenic diet? In this video, Dr. Bret Scher addresses common concerns and dives into the details you need to know.

*Key Highlights*
- Introduction to Saturated Fat and Mental Health: Unpacking the myths and truths about saturated fats and their impact on health.
- The Flexibility of Ketogenic Diets: The keto diet involves achieving a state of ketosis. There are various dietary patterns that can shift the body's fuel source from glucose to ketones, and it is not necessary to consume saturated fat if one prefers not to.
- Saturated Fat Health Implications in Ketosis: Saturated fat in a high-carb diet, often found in processed foods like pizza and desserts, can lead to poor health outcomes. However, in a whole foods, low-carb ketogenic diet, saturated fat is consumed with nutrient-dense foods, and the body burns the fat as fuel, leading to improved metabolic health. There is no quality evidence proving that eating saturated fat on a keto diet would be harmful.
- Evidence-Based Analysis: A review of various studies and meta-analyses exploring the link between saturated fat intake and heart disease risk, with insights into the quality and limitations of the evidence.
- Research Insights: Most studies linking saturated fat to heart disease involve high-carb diets. In contrast, research on ketogenic diets shows significant metabolic improvements and reduced cardiac risk, highlighting the importance of dietary context.

*Studies*
_Dietary fat and coronary heart disease: summary of evidence from prospective cohort and randomised controlled trials_
_Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease_
_Association of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis_
_Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies_
_Evidence from prospective cohort studies does not support current dietary fat guidelines: a systematic review and meta-analysis_

*Related videos*
Does Keto Cause Heart Disease?

Low Carb is Not The Same As Keto!

Does Keto Cause Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)?

Are We Biased Toward a Keto Diet- With Dr. Bret Scher

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
1:07 The power of ketogenic therapy
1:26 Ketogenic therapy can come from many dietary patterns
2:13 What data says about saturated fat and heart disease
4:38 Where saturated fat comes from is key
5:46 Cochrane review of saturated fat and cardiac mortality/cancer
7:17 Conclusion

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#MetabolicHealth
#SaturatedFat

[Sweetest_of_Seven]

I follow a keto/carnivore lifestyle and I have definitely improved my overall health without worrying about my saturated fat intake… honestly the more the better for my hormones and my physical AND mental health! I feel so much better than my old ways… 😊

[bouffon]

Keep on saying it! I am constantly astounded at the number of people that are not only unaware of this of this, but get quite bitter when you dare to present facts.

[timbarrett]

Dr Scher, your content is always so well-organized. Thank you for your continued professionalism…! 🙏

[stevelanghorn]

Your honesty is very refreshing! It’s good that you clearly acknowledge the existence of “other studies” that do show an association between saturated fat consumption and CVD…even if they may well be poorly measured…with multiple confounding factors. I’m tired of the many professionals & “influencers” who repeatedly cherry-pick their data to suit their own particular business / ethical / lifestyle model. You’ve deservedly earned people’s trust because you never fall into that blinkered-vision trap.

[jimrutherford]

I have found since following a keto low carb diet that the establishment medical lies were more numerous than I imagined. I saw it during the covid pandemic then 2.5 years ago when I decided to go on a healthy low carb diet. 90% of the time I do the opposite of what the establishment says and I haven't been this healthy or felt better in 40 years. Food is my medicine now. It also has pretty much cured my sporadic depression.

[PT]

I agree with your analysis about saturated fats. The key to understanding how saturated fats play in our metabolic health is to look at the totality of our diet- what we eat besides the saturated fat. A carnivore diet that consists of animal meat only can be very healthy and it may even reverse diseases such as autoimmune diseases- psoriasis ( my psoriasis was cured with ketogenic diet). Also, my blood pressure has gotten so much better through a low carb diet that I am no longer having to take any blood pressure medication. My pre- diabetes was also reversed to normal. In my case, low carb, high saturated fat and meat oriented diet really helped me. BTW- I lost 30 lb through a ketogenic diet!

[celiabanish]

Beef, bacon, sausage, ribeyes, eggs, butter with coconut oil in coffee. HDL 95, triglycerides 40. Added prob too many carbs back in recently. Within 6 weeks, HDL down to 75, triglycerides up to 125.

[saraha]

Thank you Dr. Scher for this broader perspective. Would you consider making a video of possible benefits of having saturated fats in one’s keto diet?
Since switching from a plant-based diet (with carbs) to animal-based therapeutic ketosis, my body, brain and nerves crave that butter & fish oil above everything else. A happy place.

[kenpumford]

After beginning a low-carb high-fat diet about 2 years ago, I lost the visceral fat that had been clinging to my midsection since I crossed 40, and I'm now back at my college weight. Every blood test marker improved except LDL, which has gone through the roof. Doing further research, I learned about lean mass hyper responders, and after some experimentation confirmed that I am one. Since my diet now includes lots of natural saturated fats, am I concerned about elevated cardiac risk? Since it was a very fit middle-aged cardiologist that turned me on to the high-fat low-carb lifestyle, definitely not!

[forajc]

Keep up the good work!! This can be so complex and confusing moving from a high carb diet. People should also be informed of the possibility of LMHR (Lean Mass Hyper Responder) like myself. This group will see a very high LDL, low triglycerides and high HDL as a result of a high fat low carb diet. This triad is looking more and more like a healthy outcome.

[criticalthinkingismandatory]

You've provided a good perspective on the saturated fat and whether it's healthy or not. Robert Lustig, MD also emphasizes that there are two types of saturated fat. And he mentions that saturated fat from meat is neutral for CVD risk, while saturated fat from dairy is actually positive for reducing the CVD risk. I haven't checked his claims, but they align with other sources of information on saturated fat that I am aware of. Overall, saturated fat became a scape goat of The Lipid (cholesterol) Hypothesis of CVD.

[genegroover]

Thank you for the information presented so very clearly and without any apparent biasis. Well done! Living in South Korea.

[thrivingwithbipolar]

Another fantastic, clear, well informed video. Thank you❤

[sidsnyder]

Instead of buttering my toast, like 90% of Americans, I butter my hamburger. Delicious.

[biodivers]

Great summary and advice in the end of your talk👋

[petermadany]

I'm curious; what are the top 10 sources of proteins and fats in a typical ketogenic vegan diet?

[PudgyCurmudgeon]

How can one possibly achieve and maintain a ketogenic state, no matter how much saturated fat they consume if they are not severely limiting carbs? I contend that eating high saturated fat with moderate to high carbohydrate foods is the worst possible diet one can eat without adding sugars. If you add sugars into such eating you will vastly accelerate your metabolic decline. Whole foods (preferably organic) with fatty ruminant red meats and omega-3 rich (not farm raised) seafood is the way to go.

[presence]

People should also watch Nutrition Made Simple (Dr. Gil Carvahlo) videos on saturated fat risk.

[mbrochh]

Here's a ChatGPT summary:

- Ketogenic therapy can put treatment-resistant mental illness into remission and eliminate type 2 diabetes.
- Many versions of keto diets contain more saturated fat than commonly recommended, which is often considered a health risk.
- There is no single ketogenic diet; it can be vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean, omnivore, or carnivore.
- Concerns about saturated fat should not preclude someone from pursuing ketogenic therapy.
- The majority of evidence suggesting saturated fat increases heart disease comes from low-quality, large population nutritional observation studies.
- These studies have inherent weaknesses, such as low-quality data collection, healthy user bias, and low statistical significance.
- Many studies show no increased health risk with increased saturated fat intake.
- A 2009 meta-analysis found the available evidence unsatisfactory and unreliable to make judgments about dietary fat and heart disease risk.
- A 2010 meta-analysis found no association between saturated fat intake and heart disease outcomes.
- A 2014 systematic review found no clear support for dietary guidelines limiting saturated fat intake.
- A 2015 meta-analysis found no association between saturated fat and heart disease, all-cause mortality, or any other disease.
- A 2017 meta-analysis found no significant association between saturated fat and heart disease death.
- The source of saturated fat is key; common sources in the U.S. include unhealthy foods like pizza, desserts, and mixed meals.
- Most low-carb or ketogenic studies that don't limit saturated fat show dramatic metabolic health improvements and some show reduced cardiac risk.
- A 2020 Cochrane review of RCTs found no difference in total or cardiac mortality or cancer risk for those who ate more versus less saturated fat.
- The review found a very small increase in combined cardiac events for those who ate more saturated fat, but this was only significant when combining all trials.
- The increase in risk was mainly seen in those who had an increase in LDL cholesterol.
- The data from high-carb, high-fat diets do not necessarily apply to whole foods, low-carb diets as part of ketogenic therapy.
- The overall dietary makeup and its impact on health are more important than focusing solely on saturated fat.
- Main message: The concern about saturated fat in ketogenic diets is likely overstated, and the overall dietary context and its impact on health should be the primary focus.

[susannastromberg]

there's plenty of research on cell membrane stability that shows that long-chain saturated fats (C15) stabilize membranes and prolong cell lifespan, while polyunsaturated fatty acids destabilize membranes causing shorter lifespans. the shorter lifespans of for example red blood cells can cause an overload of iron in the liver as too many red blood cells go through the liver to be recycled. we age faster when cells have a shorter lifespan. very interesting research that should be looked into more! Venn-Watson is one researcher who is working on this if you want somewhere to start off.