Download Confused About Fats??? Join the Crowd!!

Confused About Fats???
Join the Crowd!!
Sue Dudding,RD,LD,CDE
October 2015
Recent Controversy About Fats
 Have you heard or read any of the following?
 Butter is better than margarine!! It boosts the immune
system
 Coconut oil will cure everything from obesity to
Alzheimer ’s disease to heart disease.
 Canola oil is full of impurities and is worse than corn
oil.
Basic Fat Science
 Fats are one of the 3 macronutrients: fat, protein, and
carbohydrate.
 Fat is an ester of 3 fatty acid chains and the alcohol,
glycerol.
 Fats are classified as polyunsaturated, monounsaturated,
saturated and trans fatty acids.
 The amount of double bonds between C molecules
determines the amount of saturation.
Polyunsaturated Fats
 These types of fats have many double bonds in the
fatty acid chain.
 They tend to be liquid at room temperature, like corn
oil, soybean oil.
Monounsaturated Fats
 These types of fat have one double bond in the fatty
acid chain of the fat molecule.
 They are found in olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil,
walnut oil, nuts, seeds, avocadoes.
 Monounsaturated fats are recommended by the
American Heart Association for heart health.
Saturated Fats
 Saturated fats have no double bonds in the carbon
chains.
 They are solid at room temperature.
 Fats high in saturated fat include animal fats including
meat, cheese, dairy.
 Tropical oils also contain saturated fat, including
coconut, cocoa butter, palm kernel oil and palm oil.
Saturated Fats
 Saturated oils have historically been used in processed
food as they prevent foods from becoming rancid.
Trans Fat
 Trans fat is a man made fat made when a liquid oil is
hardened into a solid fat.
 Hydrogenation (removing the double bonds) creates the
solid texture.
 Stick margarine and Crisco shortening are 2 examples
of trans fat. Trans fat are also found in bakery
products, microwave popcorn, crispy snacks.
American Heart Association Guidelines
 Avoid trans fat to raise HDL (good cholesterol).
 Include monounsaturated fats in the diet to raise HDL.
 Decrease saturated and trans fat to lower LDL (bad
cholesterol).
 Include Omega-3 fatty acids including salmon,
flaxseed, chia seed, and walnuts to lower triglycerides.
Other AHA Guidelines
 Weight loss if overweight
 Increase soluble fiber
 Include plant sterols in the diet
 Cholesterol lowering medications
 Increase exercise
 Decrease sugar/concentrated carbs
 Decrease alcohol
 Include omega 3 fatty acids in the diet
SCH Cardiac Diet
 Low saturated fat/trans fat
 No added salt (3000 mg)
 High fiber (include soluble fiber)
 Low caffeine (2 c per day limit)
 Low simple sugar
 Gradual weight loss if above IBW range
History of Thinking About Dietary Fats
 By the 1950’s heart disease had become the leading cause
of death in the United States.
 Trauma surgeons in the Korean War started seeing soldiers
with the build-up of fat in arteries.
 Ancel Keys, a well-known nutrition researcher, publishes a
study with the conclusion that populations that consume
large amounts of saturated fats had more deaths from heart
disease than those that ate mostly grains, fish, nuts and
vegetables.
History of Thinking About Dietary Fats
 The first Dietary Guidelines for Americans was issued
in 1980 by the USDA and the US Dept of Health and
Human Services.
 These guidelines advised citizens to “avoid too much
fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.”
 Reduce overall fat consumption to 30% of total calories
and saturated fat to no more than 10% of calories.
Changing Diets
 Before 1910, people in the US used butter and animal fats
almost exclusively for cooking and baking.
 Vegetable oils at that time were used for making soaps,
candles, lubricants, and other non -edible products.
 By 1911, the process of hulling and pressing seeds and
beans was mechanized and vegetable oils became cheaper
than raising and slaughtering animals for butter or animal
fat.
Changing Diets
 Proctor & Gamble applied for the first US patent for the
process of hydrogenating vegetable oil.
 Crisco and solid margarine were produced and increased
the shelf lives of oils, paving the way for their use in baking
and frying.
 Heart disease rates continued to rise.
 In the past decade, deaths from heart disease in the US
have dropped, mainly due to reduced smoking and improved
emergency care.
Changing Diets
 Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of people
worldwide.
 In the past 50 years, fats in the diet were substituted
with carbohydrates such as pasta, grains, sugar, fruit,
and starchy vegetables.
 In 1960, the American diet contained approx. equal
amounts of carb and fat (about 40% each)
Current American Diet
 Americans are consuming about 50% of total calories
from carb and about 30% of total calories are from fat.
Saturated fat consumption is down to 11% of total
calories.
 The American diet is quite close to the old Dietary
Guidelines.
2015 Dietary Guidelines
 Strong evidence: Replacing saturated fat with
unsaturated fats, especially PUFAs, reduces LDL cholesterol and CVD risk.
 Strong evidence: Replacing saturated fat with overall
carbohydrates does not lower CVD risk.
 Limited evidence: Replacing saturated fat with MUFAs.
2015 Dietary Guidelines
 Recommendations on saturated fat intake should
specify replacement macronutrients and emphasize
replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fats, especially
polyunsaturated fats.
 The committee recommends retaining the 10 % upper
limit for saturated fat intake.
Healthy Dietary Patterns
 High in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low -fat dairy,
seafood, legumes and nuts
 Moderate in alcohol
 Lower in red and processed meats
 Low in added sugars (not more than 10% of total
energy)
 Low in refined grains
New DGAC Recommendations
 Dietary cholesterol was eliminated as a “nutrient of
concern”.
 The absence of an upper limit on total fat consumption.
Total fat is not a “nutrient of concern” and there is no
proposed restriction of its consumption.
Future Research
 Future research needs to be done on the role of each
of the types of fat on the risk of CVD.
 More movement toward the Mediterranean diet.
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid