There is a new study out this week that finds no real connection between eating saturated fat and CHD or CVD (coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease).  It’s from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

That is what the Atkins Diet folks have been saying all along – go ahead and eat fatty meats, butter and cheese – but limit carbohydrates – and the excess weight will go away.  There’s a new Atkins book out recently, too, updating the original, adding more vegetables and fruits.

In that same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there’s citation of another study that supports the lack of evidence of sat fats with CHD and CVD, but also implicates excess carbohydrate consumption, particularly of refined, sugary foods.  Take a look at the summary of that one here.

We do know that consumption of high-fat, whether saturated (from animals) or unsaturated (from plants) and smoking causes arterial plaque – they kind  that builds up in your body and can break-loose and cause a heart attack or stroke.  It’s just common sense, at least to me, that if you don’t put much fat into your body, and you lose fat on your body and keep the fat off – there’s less chance to have fat accumulate and become plaque in your arteries.

So – again, eat more vegetables and fruits, and limit the fats and carbohydrates.