Saturated Fat Increases Risk for Liver Disease More than Sugar or Unsaturated Fat

Saturated fat intake is more harmful to the liver than sugar or unsaturated fat, according to a new study published in Diabetes Care. Researchers fed 1,000 extra calories a day to 30 overweight participants in the form of saturated fat, unsaturated fat, or simple sugars for three weeks and analyzed their metabolic outcomes. Intrahepatic triglyceride, a marker of fatty liver disease, increased by 55 percent in the saturated fat group, compared with 15 and 33 percent for the unsaturated fat and simple sugar groups, respectively. The authors caution that markers for heart disease and type 2 diabetes were highest among those in the saturated fat group as well.