The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative is steering U.S. dietary policy toward a reshaped view of fats, suggesting that long‑assumed dangers of saturated fats may be overstated. A recent report argues that very‑long‑chain saturated fatty acids found in nuts and dairy behave more like beneficial omega‑3s and do not clearly raise cardiovascular risk—challenging decades of conventional guidance.
Federal dietary recommendations have long urged Americans to limit saturated fats to under 10 % of daily calories. The MAHA‑aligned shift gives greater credence to full‑fat dairy, red meat and natural animal fats as acceptable components of a healthy diet and downplays blanket bans on saturated fats. The push comes amid growing research showing mixed outcomes for saturated‑fat restriction and cardiovascular disease outcomes.
A 3,000‑participant study spanning 20 years revealed that certain very‑long‑chain saturated fatty acids were associated with slower cognitive decline and behaved similarly to omega‑3s in brain health. A separate 2025 meta‑analysis of more than 13,000 participants found no significant reduction in heart‑disease risk when saturated fats were cut—contradicting long‑held guidelines. The MAHA strategy underscores the point that dietary patterns—not just individual nutrients—matter most.
