Nearly half the population (45%) do not realise that saturated fat is very bad for health according to new statistics released today.
One in seven of us does not realise that reducing intake can cut the risk of developing coronary heart disease and one in eight (13%) do not make the link between cutting consumption and reducing risk of becoming overweight or obese. Strangely, nearly one quarter of us (22%) does think that reining in saturated fat consumption will improve our love lives, however!
This latest research by the Fat Panel re-enforces their claims that Brits do not understand about fats and which are good or bad for health. On average, we are eating 17% too much saturated fat and this is a major risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Now, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a consultation on how to reduce the nations intake of saturated fat and energy. Results are due to be released in September.
Dr Sarah Berry of The Fat Panel says I think its a major concern that people do not understand the perils of eating too much saturated fat. Many health professionals and academics have been extremely concerned about peoples intake of saturated fat for some time and this is supported by a wealth of clinical evidence. Now the Government is shining a spotlight on this harmful fat. If we are to reasonably expect to reduce the amount of saturated fat that people are eating, however, we need to help people understand SAFA and why it is bad for health.
To make things even more difficult, there is a lot of public confusion over which foods are high in saturated fat and, therefore, which ones to avoid or cut down on. More than one third of those questioned in the research (35%) believes that sunflower oil is high in saturated fat (it contains just 12%), and more than one quarter thinks that rapeseed oil is high in this bad fat (it contains just 8% saturated fat). Most do realise, however, that butter contains high levels (91%), although nearly one in ten does not. One in eight (12%) does not think cakes and biscuits have a high SAFA content and one in 10 are unaware of meat products, meat pies and sausages containing high levels.
Sian Porter of The Fat Panel says If people are going to make educated choices with their shopping and eating they need to, not only, realise that saturated fat is bad, but they also need to be able to identify which foods contain high levels. The Fat Panel is trying to help people understand so that they can make sensible choices.
Recent moves on food labelling should help people make these choices, but just half of us even look at the on-pack information when buying butter or spreads, for instance; only one in six look at how much saturated fat is in the pack. When thinking about saturated fat content, all spreads are at least 25% lower in SAFA than butter and some contain much less with certain spreads offering up to 83% less SAFA. More and more people are opting for low-fat products, whether on health or diet grounds, but it seems like few consider what type of fat a product contains.
Tagged in Health