Natural fats such as baladi ghee and butter are not a cause of clogged arteries (contrary to the previously dominant view); 'good fats do not stick'.

Original statement

يرى الدكتور العوضي أن الدهون الطبيعية كالسمن البلدي والزبدة ليست سبباً مباشراً في انسداد الشرايين، بعكس ما كان سائداً.

not verbatim – paraphrase. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.

Translation

Natural fats such as baladi ghee and butter are not a cause of clogged arteries (contrary to the previously dominant view); 'good fats do not stick'.

Origin

Source status

Third-party site (unofficial)

Attribution

Third-party site altayybat.com (unofficial)

Origin

https://altayybat.com/ar/

Attribution uncertainty

Unofficial fan/summary site; lowest attribution level; no video references given. Paraphrase of Elawady's view by the site.

Claimed mechanism

Fats are broken down in the gut and liver; natural fats do not deposit in arteries.

Claimed health effect

No cardiovascular harm from ghee and butter.

Population concerned

Everyone.

Geographic restriction by Elawady

none found

Diverging source versions

Scientific assessment

Mostly false – Essential parts of the statement are not supported by the evidence or are strongly exaggerated.

Certainty of evidence: moderate – Further research may still affect the assessment.

1. What was claimed?

Ghee and butter do not contribute to arterial disease.

2. What is demonstrably correct?

At usual population intakes, butter was only weakly associated with mortality (RR 1.01 per 14 g/day) and not with CVD (RR 1.00) in a meta-analysis of cohorts (I-FAT-03). This estimate is limited: it rests on only 4 cohorts for CVD (3 for CHD), some adjusted for blood cholesterol (a mediator), at mostly modest intakes (median 4.5-46 g/day); no ghee study exists, and the authors rate unsaturated oils as healthier than butter. Some researchers argue that food matrix matters and that some saturated-fat-rich foods (e.g. whole-fat dairy) are not associated with CVD (I-FAT-07). No single food 'directly clogs' arteries.

3. What is wrong or exaggerated?

Butter and ghee are rich in saturated fat (general food-composition knowledge). Reducing saturated fat lowers serum cholesterol and reduced combined cardiovascular events by 17% (RR 0.83, 0.70-0.98; moderate-quality evidence) in long-term RCTs (I-FAT-01). LDL causes atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (I-FAT-02). WHO strongly recommends limiting saturated fat to 10% of energy and replacing it with polyunsaturated fat (I-FAT-08). In the system, ghee is the default cooking fat without quantity limits, which can lead to high saturated-fat intakes.

4. What remains unclear?

Effects of ghee specifically (few studies); effects at moderate intakes within an otherwise healthy diet.

5. Which studies support it?

I-FAT-07 (critical review of saturated-fat limits); partly I-FAT-03 (near-null butter associations at modest intakes; cannot show that ghee or high butter intakes are safe for arteries).

6. Which studies contradict it?

I-FAT-01 (Cochrane RCTs), I-FAT-02 (LDL causal), I-FAT-08 (WHO guideline).

7. What applies to Germany and Europe?

WHO and European guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat (I-FAT-08).

8. What is known about Egypt?

Ghee is traditional in Egyptian cooking; cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in Egypt (not quantified here).

9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?

Butter and ghee in moderation are not shown to be dangerous, but unrestricted use as the main cooking fat is not supported; plant oils rich in unsaturated fats are the better default.

Assessment details

Rationale for certainty of evidence

Moderate-quality RCT evidence shows that reducing saturated fat reduces cardiovascular events; LDL is causal for atherosclerosis; butter- and ghee-specific outcome data are limited and observational.

Source quality

Third-party paraphrase, consistent with Elawady's transcript statements.

Regional transferability

Universal; ghee (samna baladi) is widely used in Egypt.

Individual exceptions

People with familial hypercholesterolaemia or established cardiovascular disease are particularly affected by saturated-fat-induced LDL rises.

Regional scope of the claim

general (biological/medical)

Last reviewed

25 October 2026 provisional

In plain language

Ghee and butter are mostly saturated fat. Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, and LDL is a proven cause of narrowed arteries. Long-term trials found about 17% fewer heart and stroke events when people ate less saturated fat. Studies of butter alone found only small effects at normal intakes, so a little butter is not a big danger. But the claim that natural fats do not affect the arteries is not correct, especially when ghee is used freely every day.

Studies on this claim

Regional context

Germany / EU

WHO and European guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat (I-FAT-08).

Egypt

Ghee is traditional in Egyptian cooking; cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in Egypt (not quantified here).

What applies in my country?

General scientific assessment

Mostly false Saturated-fat-rich ghee and butter raise LDL cholesterol, which contributes to artery disease; moderate amounts are a small risk, but they are not harmless.

This statement concerns biological or medical relationships. The scientific assessment above applies regardless of the country; country-specific food data do not change it.

References

1. Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.. Astrup A et al.. J Am Coll Cardiol 2020 · PMID 32562735 · DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.05.077
2. Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease.. Hooper L et al.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 · PMID 32827219 · DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD011737.pub3
3. Low-density lipoproteins cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. 1. Evidence from genetic, epidemiologic, and clinical studies. A consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel.. Ference BA et al.. Eur Heart J 2017 · PMID 28444290 · DOI 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx144
4. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline. World Health Organization. WHO guideline 2023
5. Is Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality.. Pimpin L et al.. PLoS One 2016 · PMID 27355649 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0158118