Saturated Fat: Common Questions Answered
Saturated Fat: straight answers to the questions people actually ask, with the figures behind them.
The fat found mainly in butter, fatty meat, cheese, cream, coconut and palm oil.
Key takeaways
- UK maximum, men: about 30g a day
- UK maximum, women: about 20g a day
- Most useful single change: Swap butter for olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil in cooking.
- Commonest mistake: Replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrate, which achieves little.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What is Saturated Fat?
The fat found mainly in butter, fatty meat, cheese, cream, coconut and palm oil.
Why does it matter?
Replacing it with unsaturated fat lowers LDL cholesterol, and what it is replaced with matters as much as the reduction itself.
UK maximum, men for Saturated Fat?
About 30g a day.
UK maximum, women for Saturated Fat?
About 20g a day.
High saturated fat on a label for Saturated Fat?
More than 5g per 100g.
Low saturated fat on a label for Saturated Fat?
1.5g or less per 100g.
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Swap butter for olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil in cooking.
What is the most common mistake?
Replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrate, which achieves little.
When should I see a doctor?
See a GP if you have a family history of heart attack or stroke before 60, or fatty deposits around the eyes or in tendons, which can indicate familial hypercholesterolaemia. Call 999 for chest pain lasting more than a few minutes.
Where to go next
- Saturated Fat: A Beginner-Friendly Start
- Saturated Fat at a Glance
- Saturated Fat — the reference entry
- What the Guidance Really Says About Fruit and Vegetables
- What the Guidance Really Says About Wholegrains
When to speak to a doctor
See a GP if you have a family history of heart attack or stroke before 60, or fatty deposits around the eyes or in tendons, which can indicate familial hypercholesterolaemia. Call 999 for chest pain lasting more than a few minutes.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
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