Fast facts on fats: What to eat, what to avoid

Tag : Palm Fatty Acid

• Recent news : Just one meal high in saturated fat may damage blood vessels andhinder the ability of HDL cholesterol to protect arteries.Normally, HDL guards blood vessels from inflammation thatcontributes to artery-clogging plaque, says Stephen Nicholls, M.D.,a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Not so after a meal high in saturated fat. When Nicholls andcolleagues fed 14 healthy volunteers two meals of carrot cake and amilk shake-one made with highly saturated coconut oil and one withpolyunsaturated safflower oil-two things happened: The ability ofblood vessels to expand and contract (a sign of healthy arteries)and the anti-inflammatory action of HDL were impaired for as muchas six hours after the high saturated fat meal. In contrast, whenthe cake and milk shake were made with polyunsaturated fat,arterial and HDL functions improved. Just how much saturated fatwas in that test meal?

"We likened it to people eating a double cheeseburger, fries,and a shake, which, unfortunately, is not that uncommon ameal," Nicholls says. CookingLight.com: Remodel your meals
Polyunsaturated fat
This type of fat helps reduce blood cholesterol levels whensubstituted for saturated fats. One variety, omega-3 fatty acids,also helps lower blood pressure, control inflammation, and protectagainst irregular heartbeats.
• Where it's found : Vegetable oils like safflower, sunflower, sesame, corn, and soy,and nuts and seeds. Omega-3s are found in fatty fish, such assalmon and mackerel, flaxseed, and walnuts.
• How much to eat : Authorities say 40 to 78 grams in a 2,000-calorie diet should come from fat, with polyunsaturated and monounsaturatedfats comprising the bulk. However, there is no specific recommendedamount for either.
The AHA puts omega-3s in a separate category and suggests two tothree meals of fatty fish a week. Two components of omega-3 fattyacid molecules have different benefits: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)helps alleviate arterial inflammation and prevent blood plateletsfrom clumping together, while DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) isvaluable to the retina and brain.

Plant sources of omega-3s confer heart-health benefits similar tothose of other foods rich in polyunsaturated fats, but because thechemical structure of the omega-3 fatty acid they contain(alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA) is different, the body does notconvert it as readily to EPA or DHA, Connor says.
• Recent news : Two studies from the University of Pittsburgh suggest omega-3sfound in fish may help improve mood and increase gray matter in thebrain. In the first, researchers demonstrated that people with highblood levels of omega-3s tended to be more agreeable and lesslikely to report mild symptoms of depression than those with lowlevels. In the second study, researchers uncovered a possiblemechanism behind the mood differences: People with high bloodlevels of omega-3s have more gray matter in the areas of the brainlinked to mood. Although preliminary, the findings provideincreasing support for including omega-3s in a healthful diet. CookingLight.com: Eight great recipes rich in omega-3 fatty acids
Monounsaturated fat
Monounsaturated fat helps lower blood cholesterol levels whensubstituted for saturated fat in the diet.
• Where it's found : Olives, avocados, and olive, canola, and peanut oils.
• How much to eat : Again, roughly two-thirds of the fat you eat should beunsaturated, either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. CookingLight.com: Get the most out of nutrition labels
• Recent news : Monounsaturated fat may help protect against heart disease anddiabetes, particularly among people with a cluster ofconditions-insulin resistance, high blood pressure, highcholesterol levels, and big waistlines-referred to as metabolicsyndrome.

A recent Italian study put 180 men and women with metabolicsyndrome on either a low-calorie Mediterranean-style diet rich inmonounsaturated fats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains or adiet of 30 percent of calories from any type of fat. At the study'send two years later, half of the subjects who followed theMediterranean-style diet were no longer diagnosed with metabolicsyndrome.

"Compared to their baseline values the Mediterranean group hada significant increase in HDL and a decrease in both triglycerides[a type of blood fat similar to cholesterol] and blood sugar, allgood changes," says Kathy McManus, M.S., R.D., of Harvard'sBrigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. CookingLight.com: Avocado recipes that pack a punch of healthfulfat
How to keep track of your daily intake
The best tools for keeping track of your intake of fats are theFood and Drug Administration Daily Values, the percentages listedon all nutrition labels. For example, the Daily Value (DV) fortotal fat, based on a 2,000-calorie diet, is 65 grams (g) or 30percent of calories from fat. A food containing 13g of total fatper serving would state on the label that its DV for fat is 20percent. That means one serving of this food contains 20 percent oftotal fat you should eat in a given day.