Dietary saturated fat and cholesterol causes heart disease, period. Animal based sources of these especially encourage atherosclerotic plaque buildup, oxidated trimethylamines, and inflammation.

This is why a whole food plant based diet has been clinically proven to prevent, stop, and even reverse heart disease, including stage IV cases. Bill Clinton, for instance, used WFPB diet to reverse his "death's door" heart disease, by working with the legendary Dr. Dean Ornish, who isn't even vegan.

The American College of Cardiology is the world's foremost authority on the issue and their official position is that, yes, dietary saturated fat and cholesterol is the primary cause of heart disease, trumping even bad genetics or smoking, and that a whole food plant based diet prevents even reverses heart disease in ~90%+ cases.

Remember, we're talking about the #1 killer in the US. This is valuable information that can save lives. Don't get caught up in emotional reactivity or the industry propaganda.