Fat and disease

Fat is one piece of a healthy eating pattern that can lower your risk of disease. The type of fat you choose, your diet and lifestyle all affect your risk of heart disease.

For heart-healthy choices on fats and oils:

• Cut out trans fats that are artificially created. Trans fats raise levels of blood cholesterol linked to heart disease, called low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Trans fats also lower blood cholesterol levels that helps keep the heart healthy, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
• Limit saturated fats, even if you are healthy. (8) Replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts, seeds, avocados, fish, and plant oils from fruits, seeds or nuts.

Some health guidelines suggest saturated fat should be less than 10% of your calories. For example, if you have a 2,000-calorie diet, 10% is 22 grams of saturated fat a day. For people with risk factors for heart disease, the American Heart Association suggests less than 6% of your total calories come from saturated fat.

Choosing unsaturated fats in place of saturated fats can improve blood cholesterol, which may lower your risk of heart disease.

When it comes to cancer prevention, your overall diet matters more than just fat. A higher risk of cancer seems to come from diets that are high in animal fats and processed meat, as well as sugar.

A lower cancer risk is linked to diets focused on plant foods, including plant protein sources such as legumes, as well as fish or poultry. Diets that help prevent cancer tend to have more unsaturated fats than saturated fats.

Diets that focus on plants, where unsaturated fats are more common than saturated fats, also tend to be linked to:

• Lower inflammation levels.
• Better blood glucose control.
• Less damage to DNA.
• Higher numbers of healthy gut bacteria.

Overall, eating fats from seafood or from plant sources is often linked to lower levels of disease. But it is just one factor. Other diet choices, such as fiber intake, and lifestyle choices, such as physical activity, play a role in disease development.