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Dietary Sources of Saturated Fat in the US Diet: NHANES 2021-2023


By: Susan Pac, Emily Schöningh, Amira Kassis, Carlos Antonio De Castro, Emma Jacquier

At ASN 2026, Flora Food Group shared findings from NHANES 2021-2023 showing that saturated fat intake among U.S. adults remains above recommended levels and is derived from a wide variety of foods across the diet

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Objectives: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 recommend Americans limit saturated fat (SFA) intake to 10% of daily calories. Identifying dietary sources of SFA can inform nutrition guidance to help Americans meet this recommendation. The objective of this study was to identify the top sources of SFA in their diets using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2021-2023.

Methods: Dietary intake was reported by 24h recall (first, single day) for adults (≥ 18 years) in NHANES 2021-2023. Mean SFA intake was determined as grams consumed and % of total energy. Food sources of SFA were categorized according to the What We Eat in America (WWEIA) categories and ranked according to their % contribution to total daily SFA intake. Analyses were conducted using software R (version 4.4.3).

Results: Mean SFA intake across all participants (n=4983) was 26.8g, and 11.9% of individual total daily calories. Twenty-four food categories accounted for 2/3 of total SFA intake. The top 10 categories contributing to SFA intake (including percentage of intake) were: cheese (5.8%), ice cream and frozen dairy desserts (4.4%), eggs and omelets (4.1%), pizza (3.9%), burgers (3.6%), egg/breakfast sandwiches (3.5%), butter and animal fats (3.3%), cookies and brownies (3.0%), cake and pies (2.9%), candy containing chocolate (2.9%).

Conclusions: On average, US adults exceed recommendations for SFA intake as a % of daily categories. SFA are distributed in the diet across a wide variety of foods. Cheese and dairy based desserts are top sources. Butter is the only “fats and oils” food item that is a top source. Healthcare professionals can use this information to help consumers lower their SFA intake and meet recommendations for SFA intake.

Funding Sources: Flora Food Group

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