A team of British researchers who reviewed 27 clinical trials on the effects of reducing dietary fat on cardiovascular disease found that there is a reduction in risk - but that it takes time to be realized.

Overall, a low-fat diet reduced deaths from heart disease by 9% and heart attacks and strokes by 16%. However, many of the trials were of short duration, and the authors suggested that greater benefits may be seen over the longer term. Since lifestyle habits, such as eating high-fat foods, do not damage the cardiovascular system overnight, it is likely that improvements in the cardiovascular vessels and reduction in plaque take months to occur, lengthening the time it takes to see true reduction in cardiovascular risks.

While eating a reduced-fat diet leads to short-term benefits in terms of weight loss, it will likely take longer to reap the cardiovascular benefits.

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