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Letter

Saturated Fat Is Bad

To the Editor:

Salt, Fat and Sugar? Bring It” (Business Day, April 23) delves into an often misunderstood topic affecting the health of millions. Despite recent food trends, clear scientific evidence has shown that saturated fat can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol in the bloodstream, and excess salt can lead to high blood pressure, which causes heart disease and stroke.

To lower LDL cholesterol, the American Heart Association continues to urge people to limit saturated fats to less than 5 to 6 percent of total calories consumed. For someone eating 2,000 calories a day, that’s about 11 to 13 grams of saturated fat.

More important, the association recommends focusing on a heart-healthy “pattern” of eating, rather than on individual components of a diet. This pattern emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains; includes low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, beans, nontropical vegetable oils and nuts; and limits sodium, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages and red meats.

Of course, the occasional scoop of ice cream can be well deserved and within the bounds of a healthy diet.

MARK A. CREAGER

Lebanon, N.H.

The writer is president of the American Heart Association and director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 20 of the New York edition with the headline: Saturated Fat Is Bad. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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