From the Guidelines

Saturated fat intake does not cause adverse health outcomes.

The relationship between dietary saturated fats and heart disease has been studied in about 400,000 people, and some meta-analyses find no evidence that reduction in saturated fat consumption may reduce CVD incidence or mortality 1.
A few large and well-designed prospective cohort studies have demonstrated that replacement of fat with carbohydrate was not associated with lower risk of CHD, and may even be associated with increased total mortality 1.
The PURE study, which included 135,000 people from 18 countries, found that increased consumption of all types of fat, including saturated fat, was associated with lower risk of death and had a neutral association with CVD 1.
A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies found that intake of total fat was not significantly associated with CHD mortality, and intake of total fat was also unrelated to CHD events 1.
The scientific understanding of dietary fats in health and disease suggests that saturated fats are benign with regard to inflammatory effects, and the influence of dietary fats on serum cholesterol has been overstated 1.

No significant association between saturated fat intake and coronary artery disease or mortality has been found in several systematic reviews of cohort studies 1.
Replacement of fat with carbohydrate may even be associated with increased total mortality 1.
Saturated fats are not associated with increased risk of stroke, and may even be inversely associated with CHD 1.
Dietary recommendations to restrict saturated fats in the diet should be revised to reflect differences in handling before consumption 1.

From the Research

The relationship between saturated fat intake and health outcomes is complex, with some studies suggesting a link to adverse health outcomes, while others indicate that the type of fat and overall diet are more important factors 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Reducing saturated fat intake may lower the risk of cardiovascular events, but its effects on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality are less clear 3, 6.
Some studies have found that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat may be beneficial for heart health, while replacing it with carbohydrate or protein may not have the same benefits 3, 4, 5.

Polyunsaturated fat intake has been associated with lower mortality from all-causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer 4, 5.
Monounsaturated fat intake has been linked to lower all-cause mortality, but its effects on cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality are less clear 4, 5.
Trans-fat intake has been associated with higher mortality from all-causes and cardiovascular disease 4, 5.

Dietary guidelines should focus on reducing intake of concentrated sugars, particularly fructose-containing sugars, rather than solely reducing saturated fat intake 2.
Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat may be a useful strategy for reducing cardiovascular risk, but more research is needed to determine the ideal type of unsaturated fat 3, 6.
A balanced diet that includes a variety of whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, is likely to be more beneficial for overall health than focusing on a single nutrient or food group 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.