throwaway48952
Meanwhile, the evidence causally linking elevated LDL cholesterol across a person's lifetime with the development of CVD is overwhelming, and every intervention that successfully lowers LDL has shown a reduction in CVD morbidity and mortality: by inhibiting synthesis (statins), accelerating clearance (PCSK9 inhibitors; go look at the FOURIER and ODYSSEY trials), or preventing re-absorption (Ezetimibe). Lower LDL just seems to be better. And btw, hunter-gathers have much lower LDL than westerners do--the Hadza for example have LDL in the 70-80 mg/dl even into old age (probably because they're more active, leaner, and don't eat much saturated fat).
Saturated fat downregulates LDL receptors (and in some people, profoundly so), meaning delayed clearance of LDL, and an elevated risk of CVD. Some people aren't as susceptible to this, while others are so-called "hyper-responders." Likewise, some people are "hyper-absorpers" of cholesterol (about 1/5), meaning dietary cholesterol has a major effect on their blood lipids, while it only has a modest effect in most others.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/2/2/14485226/ame...
https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/charts/81355/December16_Fin...
Many Americans actually get between 10-20% of their daily calories from soybean oil alone.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5291812/
BTW, your body can make all of the saturated fat it needs from the essential unsaturated (o3/o6) fats you consume. It's strange how people say things like "there's no such thing as an essential dietary carbohydrate," but don't acknowledge the same about saturated fat. Also wild game meat isn't nearly as fatty as domesticated meat, and the fat is much less saturated: