Too much fat is commonly considered detrimental to your health, causing obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This increased awareness has led to many people restricting their fat intake and some attempting to eliminate fat from their diets. Some fat is required for optimal health, however. Fat is utilized by the body to absorb certain vitamins, to burn as energy, to produce hormones and to build nerve tissue. Fats can be categorized as good or bad, depending on the effect they have on the body. Saturated and trans fats are bad fats that negatively impact your health, while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats fall into the category of good fats that can have a positive impact on your health if used moderately.
Monounsaturated Fats and Health
Monounsaturated fats are a good source of vitamin E, which is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are one of the body's defenses against cell damage that can lead to diseases. Monounsaturated fats provide nutrients that the body can use to build cells and keep them in good repair. They can also lower your cholesterol level -- an effective way to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke.
Scientific Evidence
A study published in the "Canadian Medical Association Journal" in December 2010 looked at the effect of adding monounsaturated fat to the cholesterol-lowering diet of hyperlipidemia patients. After two months, the study group showed a 12.5 percent increase in high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol levels over the control group. The HDL takes cholesterol from different parts of the body back to the liver where it is eliminated, effectively lowering the total blood cholesterol level. The results led the researchers to conclude that monounsaturated fats can increase the effectiveness of a program designed to lower your cholesterol.
Supporting Research
"The Journal of the American Medical Association" reported a study in November 2005, where subjects were given a diet rich in monounsaturated fats, and their serum lipids and blood pressure were monitored. The results showed that blood pressure and cholesterol were reduced on this diet. The conclusion drawn from these results was that if you are following a healthy diet, you can substitute some of your carbohydrate intake with monounsaturated fats to facilitate a more pronounced decrease in your blood pressure, cholesterol and risk of heart disease.
Sources of Monounsaturated Fats
Olive, canola, peanut, sunflower and sesame oils are high in monounsaturated fats. They can also be found in peanut butter, avocado and a variety of seeds and nuts. According to the American Heart Association, monounsaturated fats have 9 calories per g, and your total daily fat intake should not exceed 25 to 35 percent of your caloric intake. Despite the benefits of using monounsaturated fats, moderation is important.
References
- FamilyDoctor.org: Dietary Fats: What's Good and What's Bad
- American Heart Association: Monounsaturated Fats
- American Institute for Cancer Research: A Closer Look at Antioxidants
- "Canadian Medical Association Journal"; Adding Monounsaturated Fatty Acids to a Dietary Portfolio of Cholesterol-lowering Foods in Hypercholesterolemia; D. Jenkins et al.; Dec 2010
- "The Journal of the American Medical Association"; Effects of Protein, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate Intake on Blood Pressure and Serum Lipids; Lawrence J. Appel et al.; Nov 2005
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