Are Monounsaturated Fats Good for You?

For a long time, fat in the diet was seen as bad and doctors and dieticians recommended low fat diets even for healthy people. As researchers find out more about how our bodies process food, this perception is changing, partly because there is a growing belief that.monounsaturated fatty acids may be good for you.

What are MUFAs?

MUFA stands for monounsaturated fatty acid. Because of the way their atoms are arranged, MUFAs do not solidify or turn waxy at room temperature, which means they can move easily through your arteries and veins. Consequently, they do not have the tendency to clog and harden arteries like the saturated fats found in meats and butter. Monounsaturated fats are commonly found in plant based foods such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, dark chocolate and avocados. Especially when used to replace saturated fats in a healthy diet, they have been shown to have significant health benefits.

Early Studies

The special properties of MUFAs were first seen in the 1967 Seven Countries study. Ancel Keys noticed that, even though people in the Mediterranean countries that were the focus of the study ate diets with a high fat content, instances of coronary heart disease and blood cholesterol were relatively low. He attributed it to their heavy consumption of olive oil, which provided up to 40 percent of daily calories for people in the study area.

MUFAs and Heart Health

In the 1970s and 1980s, more studies were done that isolated MUFAs and examined their particular health benefits. Two studies performed during the mid-1980s that were published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the relationship between a diet high in MUFAS, heart disease and cholesterol as compared to a low fat, high carbohydrate diet. It was shown that, while both diets lowered low density cholesterol (LDL or bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol, the high MUFA diet did not lower high density cholesterol (HDL or good cholesterol) or increase triglycerides like the low fat, high carb diet did. This result has been repeated in numerous studies since.

Other Health Benefits

MUFAs were shown in a 2005 study published in the Annals of Oncology to aid in inhibiting the growth of breast cancer. The KANWU study of 2001 demonstrated MUFA's positive benefits on insulin sensitivity in healthy patients. There has also been recent data pointing to the ability of MUFAs to possibly reduce strokes by preventing blood clotting and lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

MUFAs and Weight Loss

In 2007, a study published in the journal Diabetes Care showed that eating MUFAs regularly can prevent weight gain in the belly and reduce visceral belly fat. This discovery led to the popular Flat Belly Diet. While these fats may help you look better, the fact that they do so much to make you feel better is reason enough to make sure you eat a fair amount of MUFAs as part of a healthy, moderate-fat diet.

References

• Penny M. Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD; AHA; Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Science Advisory; 1999;100:1253-1258
• J. A. Menendez, L. Vellon, R. Colomer and R. Lupu
• Vessby B, Unsitupa M, Hermansen K, Riccardi G, Rivellese AA, Tapsell LC, Nälsén C, Berglund L, Louheranta A, Rasmussen BM, Calvert GD, Maffetone A, Pedersen E, Gustafsson IB, Storlien LH; KANWU Study. Diabetologia. 2001 Mar;44(3):312-9.