Which Is Worse- Saturated Fat or Sugar?

There is much debate among the various nutrition experts on a number of dietary issues, but one of the most hotly debated has long been the relative evils of saturated fat and sugar.

Some will argue in favor of low-carb diets that minimize sugar intake in particular on the basis that it increases blood triglycerides and ultimately results in fatty liver disease and visceral fat deposition (fat around your internal organs that is considered to be particularly unhealthy). Others will say saturated fat is a worse culprit in this regard.

But as with most things in human physiology, the issue is not quite so simple. Yes, excess sugar and carb intake does lead to problems. So does excess saturated fat intake. But the reality is that for most people, it’s not really an issue of which is worse. For those who eat the “standard American diet,” the big problem is that there’s an excessive intake of both sugar / refined carbs and saturated fat and the combination is more harmful than either by itself.

When eat a meal containing a lot of refined carbs and a lot of saturated fat together – for example, a burger and a milk shake, pizza, or pretty much anything fatty washed down with a sugar-sweetened soft drink, a couple of things happen. First, the sugar is rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract. But wait… the pro-fat folks will say, the fat is good because it slows down the absorption of the sugar into the blood stream.

True, but the saturated fat does something else – as it is absorbed and rises in the blood, it interferes with insulin receptors and increases insulin resistance, hampering the body’s ability to handle the sugar. This keeps the blood sugar high longer, resulting in more being converted to fat that winds up being stored in the liver and fat tissues around the organs.

Now, if you’re physically active and getting regular exercise, you will burn off more fat and generally have more efficient blood sugar control, so you can get away with a high sugar, high saturated fat meal now and then. But the less you exercise and the more you indulge in this type of eating, the more likely you are to have problems with fatty liver and increased visceral fat.

Of course, the best solution is to limit both refined carbohydrate intake and saturated fat intake. But if you have long-established poor eating habits, they can be hard to change all at once.

The good news is you can make a significant improvement in your health with a less drastic change – just choose one to work on. My advice is to start with something simple and relatively easy.

For instance, if you choose to work on sugar and carbs first, perhaps cut out (or reduce) sugar-sweetened beverages. Or perhaps do away with desserts (or cut portion sizes).

If you decide to tackle saturated fat first, you could avoid fatty meats like bacon and high fat cuts of beef in favor of leaner options, reduce your use of butter (perhaps by switching to cooking with olive or avocado oil), or going to lower fat dairy products.

Continuing to make simple changes over time will add up and can dramatically improve your health in the long run.

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.