Study Cites the Fats That Could Shorten Your Life
High levels of animal-based saturated fats were tied to earlier death, unsaturated fats seem healthier
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter
I like this author, he always has something interesting to write about. I am a believer that we should avoid red meat as much as possible. This post is a good explanation of why we should.
(HealthDay News) -- Hold the butter, margarine, and high-fat dairy: A new study supports the notion that these "saturated" fats are bad for you.
The study, which followed more than 126,000 people for three decades, found that people who ate higher amounts of saturated fats and trans fats died earlier than those who stuck to healthier unsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fats include plant-based, unprocessed fats such as those found in olive, canola or soybean oil, the study authors explained.
"It is important to analyze what you're eating -- are they hydrogenated fats coupled with refined carbohydrates [for example, white bread] or are they unsaturated from plant sources?"
During the follow-up visits with the group, more than 33,300 of the participants died. Researchers reported that eating more saturated fat and trans fat was associated with a higher risk of death during the study.
For example, for every 2 percent rise in trans fat intake, there was a 16 percent higher odds of dying during the study period, the researchers found.
Trans fats are an especially unhealthy form of dietary fat that are gradually being phased out of the American food supply, the study authors noted.
Likewise, every 5 percent increase in saturated fat intake was tied to an 8 percent rise in risk of dying during the study period, the findings.
But the opposite was true with plant-based unsaturated fats. In that case, eating high amounts of polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats was linked to an 11 percent to 19 percent reduction in death risk during the study period.
Polyunsaturated fats include the omega-6 fatty acids found in most plant-based oils and omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and soy and canola oils, Hu's team noted. High intakes of both types of fats seemed tied to longer lifespans, the researchers said.
Shifting your diet from saturated to unsaturated fats might have real health benefits, the study suggested. The investigators found that replacing just 5 percent of calories from saturated fats with equivalent calories from polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat was associated with a 27 percent and 13 percent reduced risk of death, respectively, during the study period.
"Essential fatty acids are found in most foods in their natural state, such as cold water fish, nuts, seeds, hemp, and avocados," she explained. "The saturated sources are usually processed, including fractioned oils, hydrogenated oils, margarine, butter, animal fats and high-fat dairy products."
Mary Grace Webb is assistant director of clinical nutrition at NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens hospital. She agreed that the new data "reinforces the need for consumers to include healthier unprocessed plant-based fats in their diets, which are naturally trans- and saturated fat-free. These fats include some oils, nuts and nut butters, and seeds."
In addition, "eating a more plant-based diet with less meat and more alternative protein sources -- such as fish, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy foods -- can also reduce levels of unhealthy fats," Webb said.
And healthy eating doesn't mean having to skimp on flavor, she said.
"I love low-fat Greek yogurt topped with raisins and nuts, white balsamic vinegar with extra-virgin olive oil on my salads, and every day I start with crunchy natural peanut butter on whole grain toast with sliced banana," Webb said.
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