It is common knowledge supported by health experts, the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation: Eating saturated fats will cause plaque to build up in the arteries, which then harden, and ultimately leads to coronary heart disease. To prevent heart disease, the association and federation both recommend a diet low in saturated fats, the animal-based fats found in beef, pork, chicken, butter and cheese, among other foods.
But in an editorial published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three cardiologists say saturated fats do not clog arteries and the "clogged pipe" model of heart disease is "plain wrong."
