Research indicates that healthy fats help to reduce heart disease when replacing saturated fats in the diet. Saturated fats, mainly found in animal foods, and trans fats, sometimes used in processed foods, can raise harmful LDL cholesterol and lower protective HDL levels. Excess LDL cholesterol builds up in the arteries to contribute to heart disease. HDL removes excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and delivers it to the liver for processing. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, along with a diet low in saturated fats, improve cholesterol levels.
Unsaturated Fats
Dutch researchers found that when polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats replace carbohydrates in the diet, the healthy fats reduced LDL cholesterol and raised HDL levels. The researchers analyzed 60 trials, according to the May 2003 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Substituting a diet high in monounsaturated fats for a diet rich in carbohydrates lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease, the OmniHeart Collaborative Research Group reported to the American Heart Association in November 2005. The researchers studied 164 adults with pre-hypertension or in the early stage of hypertension (high blood pressure) for six-week periods.
Healthy Fat Sources
Olive, canola and peanut oils; avocados; almonds; hazelnuts; pecans; and pumpkin and sesame seeds contain high amounts of monounsaturated fats, the Harvard School of Public Health explains. Corn, soybeans, flaxseed and sunflower oils contain high concentrations of polyunsaturated fats. Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, include salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and sardines.
Fish Oil
Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil help reduce high cholesterol, high blood pressure and triglycerides, or fats in the blood, to lower the risk of heart disease, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. Inuit Eskimos consume high amounts of omega-3 fish and tend to have higher HDL cholesterol levels and decreased triglycerides. The FDA approved a fish oil supplement, ethyl esters, to lower triglycerides.
Mediterranean Diet
A Mediterranean-style diet helps raise good HDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. People who follow the diet come from Mediterranean countries, which have lower rates of heart disease than the United States, the American Heart Association says. The diet usually includes high amounts of fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds. Red meat and sweets are rarely eaten.
Olive Oil
Monounsaturated fats, particularly olive oil, play a primary role as a fat source instead of saturated fats in a Mediterranean diet. Virgin olive oil-based breakfasts showed changes in genes to boost immunity and reduced the risk of high cholesterol and heart disease, according to research reported in the April 10, 2010, issue of "BMC Genomics." Researchers examined 20 patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, risk factors for heart disease, on the diet. Extra virgin and virgin olive oils go through less processing than standard olive oils to retain more nutrients.
