Fats usually receive a bad reputation when it comes to good diet. However, a study by Swedish researchers confirmed that they can also be good for the health.
The new study showed that older adults who regularly consume fats from fish and vegetables can live longer.
Based on the findings published in an American Heart Association journal, Circulation, 60-year old men and women who were seen to have high levels of healthy fats, also known as polyunsaturated fats, in their blood were less likely to develop heart disease or any disease that can cause death.
This would significantly add more years to their lives compared to those who have low levels of the healthy fats.
Senior author Ulf Riserus, a nutrition researcher at Sweden's Uppsala University, and his team studied more than 4,000 60-year old men and women. The research findings support current dietary guidelines recommending sufficient intake of healthy oils from both fish and vegetables, according to Riserus.
The current dietary guidelines also state that most adults should not get more than 20-35 percent of calories from fats. More importantly, calories must come from healthy fats and not more than 10% should come from saturated fats.
On the other hand, trans fat consumption should be avoided as much as possible.
Healthy oils are found in fish like herring, trout and salmon; it can also be found in avocados, olives and walnuts. Vegetable oil can also be an excellent source especially when the oils are derived from olive, canola and sunflower among others.
Researchers also note that recent findings also suggest that the type of fats is more important than the quantity when it comes to affecting the levels of fatty acids in the system and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study found that high levels of linoleic acid—fatty acids from vegetable oils—reduced the likelihood of death from cardiovascular disease in men by 27%.
The bottomline is a basic one: people should eat more plants than animals, according to New York University nutritionist Samantha Heller, who was not part of the study.
