The saturated fat found in your steak or slice of cheese is not as harmful as you may think, according to a new Canadian study.

But don’t go running to drench your strawberries in cream just yet, say the scientists responsible for the research.

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The major study into the health risks of dietary fats failed to find a link between food with saturated fats and a higher risk of death from heart disease, type-2 diabetes or stroke.

It also found that “industrially produced trans fats” in cheaper foods and margarine are linked with a greater risk of death from coronary heart disease.

“If we tell people to eat less saturated or trans-fats, we need to offer a better choice,” Dr Russell de Souza, the study’s head researcher, told The Independent.

“We could not confidently rule out an increased risk of death from heart disease with higher amounts of saturated fat.

“And we should not ignore stronger and consistent evidence from better designed studies.

“Eating less saturated fat and more polyunsaturated fat from vegetable oils reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and that diets that replace saturated fat with these fats, as well as whole grains, reduces the chance of developing or dying from heart disease.”

Despite failing to link the risk of bad health and early death from eating foods with saturated fats, Dr de Souza warned against using the findings as a green light to eat more foods rich in saturated fats – like dairy foods, meat, eggs and milk chocolate.

Current dietary guidelines recommended saturated fats be limited to under 10 per cent of our daily energy intake, and trans-fats under 1 per cent to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Dr de Souza warned that changing the dietary guidelines is still not warranted.