(Mercola.com) -- A new study from the Netherlands has aroused a great deal of interest, especially as it comes immediately in the wake of an ill-conceived Danish tax that unfairly targets saturated fats.

The study found that dietary intake of saturated fatty acids is associated with a modest increase in serum total cholesterol -- but not with cardiovascular disease.

However, replacing dietary saturated fats with carbohydrates is associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease risk.

In summary:

-- New research from the Netherlands shows dietary intake of saturated fatty acids is associated with a modest increase in total cholesterol -- but not with heart disease
-- New research shows that replacing dietary saturated fats with carbohydrates IS associated with an increase in heart disease risk
-- Saturated fats are good for you; your body cannot function without them and studies that claim they cause heart disease are based on flawed data
-- To reduce your risk of numerous chronic disease, buck the incorrect dietary dogma that saturated fats are bad for you; instead, increase your intake of healthy fats (including saturated) and reduce your intake of carbohydrates (grains, sugar and fructose)

Let me repeat that:

Replacing saturated fats in your diet, like those from healthy grass-fed beef, raw organic butter, and other high-quality animal foods, with carbohydrates like bread, bagels, pasta, rice and doughnuts will increase your risk of heart disease.

Saturated Fats Are GOOD for You

I can't stress this point enough, as I realize it may take some of you reading this by surprise.

Unfortunately, this is the result of misguided and downright incorrect information that has been widely circulated from public health agencies, as well as further "cemented" in people's minds with the introduction of saturated fat replacements like trans fats and vegetable oil, which are far worse for your health.

Consider this: most would agree that human breast milk is likely the ideal human food for infants and their developing bodies. Breast milk contains 54 percent saturated fat. This is not a mistake; it's there in such high quantities because it plays a crucial role in your body's development and day-to-day functioning, even as an adult. In fact, your body cannot function without saturated fats.

The Truth About Saturated Fats and Heart Disease

Do you long for a meal of a butter-drenched, rare steak but pass it up because you equate it with a "heart attack on a plate"? Well, I have good news for you, and that is you can enjoy a rare-cooked, butter-drenched steak without guilt, assuming it is grass-fed steak and raw organic butter -- it's good for you!

Heart disease is so common today, it's hard for people to remember that a mere 100 years ago this disease was really uncommon. Today, a number of indigenous tribes around the world are living proof that a high-saturated-fat diet equates to low mortality from heart disease.

So why, then, does the most recent food chart issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December of 2010 recommend reducing your saturated fat intake to a mere 7 percent of caloric intake -- down from its previously recommended 10 percent?

The demonization of saturated fat began in 1953, when Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper comparing saturated fat intake and heart disease mortality. His theory turned out to be flimsy, to say the least, but the misguided ousting of saturated fat has continued unabated ever since.

Keys based his theory on a study of seven countries, in which higher saturated fat intake equated to higher rates of heart disease. However, he conveniently ignored data from 16 other countries that did not fit his theory. Had he chosen a different set of countries, the data would have shown that increasing the percent of calories from fat reduces the number of deaths from coronary heart disease.

When you include all 22 countries for which data was available at the time of his study, you find that those who consume the highest percentage of saturated fat have the lowest risk of heart disease.

The nutrition community of that time completely accepted Keys' hypothesis, and encouraged the public to cut out butter, red meat, animal fats, eggs, dairy and other "artery clogging" fats from their diets -- a radical change at that time that is still very much in force today.

Most of the experts I know believe that Dr. Keys' research was pivotal for perpetuating the flawed low-fat approach to health. This is a major part of the solid science you will need to know if anyone seeks to disagree with you when you share this information; this study is really the foundation that triggered the massive emphasis on low-fat diets and the flawed belief that cholesterol and animal fats are so pernicious.