North Americans can stop cutting out butter, cheese and marbled meats in the name of heart health, according to an editorial published Wednesday in the BMJ-affiliated journal Open Heart.

Diets low in saturated fats do not protect against heart disease or increase life expectancy, said lead author Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a clinical pharmacist at Wegmans Pharmacy in Ithaca, N.Y. He pointed out that study after study has failed to show that a low-fat diet reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke or cardiovascular disease.