I stepped into the dimly lit laboratory on a rainy Vancouver afternoon, watching as Dr. Sarah Chen meticulously reviewed data on her computer screen. The Simon Fraser University cardiovascular researcher has spent the last seven years examining the relationship between dietary patterns and heart disease outcomes—work that has recently put her at odds with some of the world’s most established health authorities.
“I didn’t set out to challenge the World Health Organization,” Dr. Chen tells me, adjusting her glasses as rain taps against the window. “But science requires us to question, especially when lives are at stake.”
Her recently published study in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology suggests that long-standing WHO dietary guidelines for cardiovascular health may be missing crucial cultural and genetic variations that affect how different populations respond to certain foods. The findings could potentially reshape how we think about “heart-healthy” eating across diverse communities.
The WHO has long recommended limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories to reduce heart disease risk. These guidelines have shaped hospital menus, school lunch programs, and public health campaigns across Canada and globally for decades.
But Dr. Chen’s team followed 4,200 participants from six ethnic backgrounds living in British Columbia over five years. They documented their eating patterns, genetic markers, and cardiovascular outcomes. The results revealed striking differences in how dietary patterns correlated with heart health across different ancestry groups.
“We found that some South Asian participants who strictly followed the WHO low-saturated fat guidelines actually showed higher markers of inflammation and heart disease risk than those who maintained more traditional cooking practices using ghee,” explains Chen, pointing to data charts on her computer.
Her research doesn’t entirely upend conventional wisdom—most participants benefited from diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. But it suggests a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition recommendations may be too simplistic, especially as Canada grows more diverse.
Walking through Vancouver’s vibrant Commercial Drive neighborhood the following day, I meet Priya Sharma, a 62-year-old participant in Chen’s study. Outside a small grocery store where she shops for ingredients, Sharma describes her relief upon learning the results.
“My grandmother lived to 94 eating traditional foods in Punjab. When I moved to Canada, doctors told me to stop using ghee completely,” she says, arranging her shopping bags. “But something never felt right about abandoning foods my family had eaten for generations.”
Dr. Michael Davidson, cardiologist at Vancouver General Hospital who wasn’t involved in the research, sees Chen’s work as part of a necessary evolution in nutritional science. “For years, we’ve offered blanket recommendations based primarily on studies of European-descent populations,” he explains during our conversation at his office. “Dr. Chen’s work reminds us that human biology interacts with diet in complex ways that can vary across different genetic backgrounds.”
The study has generated mixed reactions from the medical community. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada acknowledges the research’s importance but cautions against major dietary changes without further evidence. On their website, they note that “while personalized nutrition is a promising field, the fundamentals of heart-healthy eating remain important for most people.”
Health Canada hasn’t yet responded to the findings, though they’ve recently emphasized the importance of cultural foods in their revised food guide.
The WHO itself has acknowledged the need for more diverse research populations. Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of Nutrition for Health and Development at WHO, responded to Chen’s paper by welcoming “research that helps refine our understanding of nutrition across different populations,” according to a statement on the organization’s website.
For Dr. Chen, this isn’t about dismantling public health guidelines but improving them. In her lab, she shows me maps tracking heart disease rates across different communities in British Columbia. “Cardiovascular disease remains our biggest killer,” she says. “But perhaps the path to prevention isn’t identical for everyone.”
The implications extend beyond saturated fats. Chen’s team found variations in how different populations process carbohydrates, dairy, and specific proteins. They also documented how traditional food preparation methods—fermenting, sprouting, or specific cooking techniques—altered nutritional impacts in ways modern dietary science often overlooks.
Later that week, I visit a community kitchen in Surrey where nutritionist Maya Wong works with newcomer families to adapt traditional recipes for health without abandoning cultural food practices.
“When scientific findings support cultural wisdom, it’s powerful,” Wong says as she demonstrates how to prepare a modified version of a traditional Filipino dish. “Many of my clients felt guilty about their cultural foods. Studies like Dr. Chen’s help validate what many communities have known intuitively.”
The research comes at a time when nutrition science itself is undergoing significant reevaluation. Recent large-scale studies have questioned long-held beliefs about dietary cholesterol, types of fats, and optimal macronutrient ratios. Chen’s work adds another dimension—how human genetic diversity interacts with these factors.
Dr. Chen emphasizes that her findings shouldn’t be interpreted as license to abandon heart-healthy eating principles altogether. “The basic advice to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, choose whole foods over processed ones, and maintain healthy weight still stands,” she cautions. “We’re simply suggesting that the specific balance of foods might need customization based on your background.”
As I leave her laboratory, Dr. Chen is already planning the next phase of her research—a larger international collaboration that will include populations from twelve countries across five continents.
“Science evolves,” she tells me, turning back to her data. “Sometimes that means challenging established wisdom. But the goal remains the same—helping people live longer, healthier lives.”
In a world of increasingly personalized medicine, Chen’s work suggests nutrition might someday follow suit—prescribed not just based on general principles, but tailored to our unique cultural and genetic heritage.
