Lipids - Lipid Recommendations

Question 1

Generic Recommendations

Answer 1

Type of fat: Total fat
Amount (% of energy): 20–35
Amount in grams (female, 2000 calories / day): 44‒78

Type of fat: Saturated fat
Amount (% of energy): No more than 10
Amount in grams (female, 2000 calories / day): 22

Type of fat: Polyunsaturated
Amount (% of energy): 6-11
Amount in grams (female, 2000 calories / day): 13-24

Type of fat: Omega-3
Amount (% of energy): 0.5 - 2
Amount in grams (female, 2000 calories / day): 1.1 – 4.4

Question 2

Lipid Recommendations

Answer 2

• The UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) Review (2019) recommended that saturated fats should not exceed >10% of energy.
• The Eatwell Guide advises:
  o Choose low-fat dairy options.
  o Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat in small amounts.
• There is no emphasis on healthy fats such as oily fish, avocado, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, egg yolk and grass-fed meat.
• Low-fat dairy options often contain high levels of sugar. Unsaturated oils may be highly refined and contain trans fats.

Question 3

Lipid Recommendations

Answer 3

In past decades, dietary guidelines have advocated reducing the intake of total fat and dietary fat:
* Low-fat diets led to fat in foods being replaced with refined carbohydrates and sugar.
* Without adequate energy from fat, people struggle to be sufficiently satiated. This has resulted in the consumption of ultra-processed foods.
* The PURE study in 2017 found that high carbohydrate diets led to the highest mortality rates. People consuming more fat, 35% of daily energy, were less likely to die than those consuming 10% daily energy.