Many people in the ancestral, carnivore, paleo, low-carb nutrition space claim that our ancestors ate a lot of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol and that, therefore, we should as well.

However, just because our ancestors did something doesn’t mean we should do it too.

For us modern humans, reducing saturated fat and replacing it with plant sources of fat (i.e., mono- or polyunsaturated fat), or fiber-rich whole grains, reduces the risk of heart disease.[PMID:28635680] We also produce cholesterol in our liver, and there is little to no evidence suggesting that consuming additional dietary cholesterol is beneficial.[PMID:29899250]

And even if you DO feel that we should be eating just as our ancestors did, consider this: early humans may have eaten LESS saturated fat than we do now since the wild game available to them at the time was relatively lean.[PMID:1435101] And average serum cholesterol levels for early hunter-gatherer humans generally ranged between 70 and 140 mg/dL (well within the currently accepted optimal range).[PMID: 15172426]

No evidence supports the notion that people should eat MORE animal fat. The evidence indicates the opposite.

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