Research shows omega-3 fats can lower triglyceride levels and slightly increase HDL good cholesterol levels. A study found eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week significantly decreases blood triglyceride levels. The following foods contain this specific type of polyunsaturated fat:. Despite the slight differences in their chemical structure, both types of unsaturated fat have been linked to promoting heart health by:.
Studies have shown that replacing saturated fats and trans fats with foods containing mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help protect you against heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends this dietary approach. Looking to start a diet to better manage your cholesterol? Changing lifelong eating habits can be scary at first, but our guide will make it easier. Adding monounsaturated fatty acids to a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods in hypercholesterolemia.
Saturated fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease: modulation by replacement nutrients. Curr Atheroscler Rep. Facts about polyunsaturated fats. Updated April 23, Twice weekly intake of farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar positively influences lipoprotein concentration and particle size in overweight men and women.
Nutr Res. American Heart Association. Saturated Fat. The Skinny of Fats. Updated April 30, Published July Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. The result is that it has two fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fat and a bend at the double bond.
This structure keeps monounsaturated fats liquid at room temperature. Good sources of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, and most nuts, as well as high-oleic safflower and sunflower oils. The discovery that monounsaturated fat could be healthful came from the Seven Countries Study during the s.
It revealed that people in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean region enjoyed a low rate of heart disease despite a high-fat diet. The main fat in their diet, though, was not the saturated animal fat common in countries with higher rates of heart disease. It was olive oil, which contains mainly monounsaturated fat. This finding produced a surge of interest in olive oil and the "Mediterranean diet," a style of eating regarded as a healthful choice today.
Although there's no recommended daily intake of monounsaturated fats, the Institute of Medicine recommends using them as much as possible along with polyunsaturated fats to replace saturated and trans fats. Polyunsaturated fats. When you pour liquid cooking oil into a pan, there's a good chance you're using polyunsaturated fat.
Corn oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil are common examples. Polyunsaturated fats are essential fats.
That means they're required for normal body functions but your body can't make them. So, you must get them from food. Polyunsaturated fats are used to build cell membranes and the covering of nerves. They are needed for blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation. A polyunsaturated fat has two or more double bonds in its carbon chain. There are two main types of polyunsaturated fats: omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.
The numbers refer to the distance between the beginning of the carbon chain and the first double bond. Both types offer health benefits. Eating polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated fats or highly refined carbohydrates reduces harmful LDL cholesterol and improves the cholesterol profile.
It also lowers triglycerides. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil, and unhydrogenated soybean oil.
Omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent and even treat heart disease and stroke. In addition to reducing blood pressure, raising HDL, and lowering triglycerides, polyunsaturated fats may help prevent lethal heart rhythms from arising. Evidence also suggests they may help reduce the need for corticosteroid medications in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Studies linking omega-3s to a wide range of other health improvements, including reducing risk of dementia, are inconclusive, and some of them have major flaws, according to a systematic review of the evidence by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Omega-6 fatty acids have also been linked to protection against heart disease. Foods rich in linoleic acid and other omega-6 fatty acids include vegetable oils such as safflower, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and corn oils. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Oils like olive oil, canola oil and sunflower oil are made up of different percentages of primarily mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.
This is why these oils are considered some of the healthiest options available today. On the other hand, saturated fats are considered to be unhealthier than their mono- and poly-unsaturated counterparts. Saturated fats are fatty acids that have no double bonds.
This creates a straight fatty acid chain which is solid at room temperature. The advice still recommended by most nutritionists is that saturated fats should be limited. Trans fats are a fatty acid with one double bond that creates a kink in the fatty acid chain. Trans fats are predominantly found in processed foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils PHOs , and are widely considered to be unhealthy. They should be avoided as much as possible. In fact, the FDA recently released a statement requiring that all food manufacturers swap out any PHOs they may be using to other healthier options within the next 3 years.
Use this chart to compare the average make ups of different oils between monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats. Topics: Comparing Oils.
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