Your body needs healthy fats for energy and other functions. But too much saturated fat can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries (blood vessels). Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.

What happens if you eat no saturated fat?

Eating foods that contain saturated fat is thought to increase blood cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk of heart disease. As a result, health professionals recommend following a diet low in saturated fat to reduce this risk.

Does your body need saturated?

A diet rich in saturated fats can drive up total cholesterol, and tip the balance toward more harmful LDL cholesterol, which prompts blockages to form in arteries in the heart and elsewhere in the body. For that reason, most nutrition experts recommend limiting saturated fat to under 10% of calories a day.