What Are the Different Types of Fat?
Not all fats are created equal, and each type of fat has a unique roll. (See what I did there?)
We often hear about good fats and bad fats. In reality, not everything in nutrition is black and white, “eat” or “don’t eat.” Some things are “eat in moderation” or “eat sparingly.” The chart below shows that fats are actually quite useful, with the exception of artificial trans fats.
| Fat | What does it do? | Where is it mainly found? |
|---|---|---|
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) | MUFAs found in nuts and oils reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and boost "good" cholesterol (HDL cholesterol). MUFA in oils reduces skin aging caused by the sun. It also helps your body pull more nutrients from fruit and vegetables. MUFAs can actually decrease belly fat.
Excessive MUFA intake during youth can hurt your memory later in life. |
Oils, nuts, avocados |
| Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) | PUFAs lower the cholesterol in your blood and lower your risk for type-2 diabetes. Omega-3 is a PUFA that works as an anti-inflammatory, reduces the risk of cardio-vascular disease, and strengthens bones. Omega-3 and omega-6 can fight various cancers and help your brain to function.
Excessive amounts of vegetable oils can cause tumor growth. (This includes fried foods.) |
Vegetable oils, fish |
| Saturated Fat |
Saturated fats strengthen bones, improve liver health, promote healthy lungs, improve brain and nerve function, and strengthen the immune system.
Eating saturated fats raises LDL cholesterol, which can build plaque in your arteries. It also raises your HDL cholesterol, which removes plaque from your arteries. Saturated fat is infamous for causing heart disease. However, 21 studies done with over a quarter-million people showed that there was "no significant evidence...that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD (coronary heart disease) or CVD (cardio vascular disease)." If that wasn't convincing enough, the University of Cambridge analyzed over 72 studies with over 600,000 people. They concluded that, "Current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats." The idea that saturated fats cause heart disease came from a flawed study done by Ancel Keys in 1953. Dietary data was available for 22 countries, but Keys chose to only use data from 6 countries. A followup study done by Jacob Yerushalmy showed that when all 22 countries were considered, there was actually no link shown between saturated fat and heart disease. Excessive saturated fat consumption can lead to obesity. |
Meat, dairy |
| Natural Trans Fat | Natural trans fats lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. They also lower LDL cholesterol.
Excessive trans fat consumption can lead to obesity and diabetes. |
Meat, dairy |
| Artificial Trans Fat | The FDA has declared artificial trans fats "not generally recognized as safe." Artificial trans fats can raise LDL cholesterol and lead to heart disease. The Independent Institute of Medicine says there is "no safe level of consumption of artificial trans fat." | Hydrogenated vegetable oil, hydrogenated canola oil, margarine, fried food, some frozen foods, many junk foods |
The main thing I learned from this study is that we don't need to be afraid of eating fats (except artificial trans fats). As long as we're being moderate, the fat can actually help us in a variety of ways.
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435270/ - MUFAs in oils reduce skin aging.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24727233 - MUFAs in nuts and oils reduce risk of CVD.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/01/us-monounsaturated-fats-idUSTRE6A04ZD20101101 - MUFAs in nuts and oils
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.201100687/abstract - MUFAs
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/7/1717.full - MUFAs reduce belly fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24376410 - High MUFA intake reduces memory.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fat/art-20045550 - PUFAs lower diabetes risk.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/6/2003S.abstract - Omega-3 can lower CVD risk and is anti-inflammatory.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24746838 - Omega-3 improves bone strength
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24706410 - Omegas fight can colorectal cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24669767 - Omegas fight breast cancer.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050802123505.htm - Excessive omega 6 causes tumors.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Polyunsaturated-Fats_UCM_301461_Article.jsp - Omega-3 and 6 lower cholesterol and help brain function.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract - There's no significant evidence that saturated fat leads to heart disease.
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638 - Lowering saturated fat doesn't cut risk of heart disease.
http://www.menshealth.com/health/saturated-fat - Original saturated fat study was flawed.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/#axzz24uV2KtXB - Saturated fat raises LDL and HDL cholesterol.
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/06/06/saturated-fat/ - Health benefits of saturated fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24742471 - Excessive saturated fat can cause obesity related illnesses.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402152140.htm - Natural trans fat reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17636085 - Excessive trans fat can cause obesity and lead to diabetes.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/uoa-ecf090711.php - Natural trans fat is different from artificial trans fat.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm373939.htm - The FDA says artificial trans fats aren't safe.