Scientists warn: Danger is a diet rich in saturated fats

Research has shown that a diet rich in saturated fat increases the risk of developing heart disease and cancer.

The findings reinforce warnings against eating foods high in saturated fat, such as cakes, biscuits, fatty meats and dairy products.

British scientists have found that high levels of saturated fat in the blood may be responsible for inflammation, potentially increasing the risk of the two leading causes of death.

Using mice, the scientists discovered that high levels of fat in the blood triggered a process in which white blood cells grow and "migrate" from the blood to tissues and organs.

They believe the "migrating" cells may be exacerbating ongoing or underlying inflammation – a destructive, out-of-control immune response closely linked to heart disease. Recent evidence shows that this also plays an important role in the development and spread of cancer.

Dr Kevin Woollard, from Imperial College London, who led the Wellcome Trust-funded research published in the journal Cell Reports, said: "Modern lifestyles seem to go hand in hand with high levels of fat in the blood".

The scientists point out that people with certain immune disorders that affect monocytes, such as lupus, sometimes have unexpectedly high levels of saturated fat in their blood and are thus more prone to premature heart attacks and strokes.

In the UK, more than half of men and women are either overweight or obese and heart disease is the UK's biggest cause of death.

Source: Saja et al (2015), “Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins Modulate the Distribution and Extravasation of Ly6C/Gr1low Monocytes”, Cell Reports, doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2015.08.020