The International Dairy Federation (IDF) has welcomed an FAO/WHO report, which found there was no convincing evidence that total dietary fats had a significant effect on coronary heart disease (CHD) or cancer.

The report – Fats and Fatty Acids in Human Nutrition – said energy balance was the critical factor in maintaining a healthy body weight, regardless of the percentage energy of total fat.

It added that replacing saturated fatty acids with refined carbohydrates had no benefit for CHD and might even increase the risk of CHD and metabolic syndrome development.

“There is no clear evidence that dairy food consumption is consistently associated with a higher risk of CHD,” said IDF president Richard Doyle. However, the IDF said a recommendation on total trans-fatty acids did not reflect the difference between trans fats from animal and industrial sources.  

Geoff Talbot, The Fat Consultant, said if bakers were able to replace saturates with polyunsaturates, it was a good move to make. However, he added: “Nutritionists have no idea of the problems of producing bakery products – it’s not always possible and you have to do the best you can with the ingredients available.”