Wellness Database

Wellness Database: Fat

Fat is good to consume in limited doses and from particular sources. Trans fatty acids are bad, but omega-3 fatty acids are good. Low fat diets are generally beneficial to weight loss and reducing obesity.

Related Studies

Dietary Fat Improves or Reduce Effectiveness of Vitamin D Supplements

Summary: Diets rich in fat may influence the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in older adults. Researchers sought to determine whether intakes of different dietary fats [monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and saturated fatty acids (SFA)] are associated with the increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) after supplementation with vitamin D(3). Analysis was conducted in the active treatment arm of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D and calcium supplementation to prevent bone loss and fracture. Subjects included 152 healthy men and women aged 65 and older who were assigned to 700 IU/d vitamin D(3) and 500 mg/d calcium. Intakes of MUFA, PUFA and SFA were estimated by food frequency questionnaire. The change in plasma 25OHD (nanograms per milliliter) during vitamin D supplementation was positively associated with MUFA, (b = 0.94; P = 0.016), negatively associated with PUFA, (b = -0.93; P = 0.038), and positively associated with the MUFA/PUFA ratio (b = 6.46; P = 0.014). The fat composition of the diet appeared to influence the 25OHD response to supplemental vitamin D(3). Diets rich in MUFA may improve, and those rich in PUFA may reduce the effectiveness of vitamin D(3) supplements in healthy older adults.

Reference: "Type of dietary fat is associated with the 25-hydroxyvitamin d3 increment in response to vitamin d supplementation," Niramitmahapanya S, Harris SS, Dawson-Hughes BJ, et al, Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011 Oct; 96(10): 3170-4. (Address: Bone Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) ).

Dietary Factors Critical to Prevention of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

In this systematic review of studies investigating the role of dietary factors on the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which included an analysis of results from 19 studies involving 2,609 patients with IBD (1,269 Crohn's and 1,340 ulcerative colitis) and 4,000 controls, the authors found a negative association between dietary fiber and fruits and subsequent Crohn's disease risk, a positive association between high intake of saturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids, total polyunsaturated fatty acids, total omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, mono- and disaccharides, and meat, and a significantly increased risk of ulcerative colitis associated with high intakes of total fats, total PUFAs, omega-6 fatty acids, and meat. The authors conclude, "High dietary intakes of total fats, PUFAs, omega-6 fatty acids, and meat were associated with an increased risk of CD and UC. High fiber and fruit intakes were associated with decreased CD risk, and high vegetable intake was associated with decreased UC risk."

"Dietary intake and risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review of the literature," Hou JK, Abraham B, et al, Am J Gastroenterol, 2011 April; 106(4): 563-73. (Address: Section of Gastroenterology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA).

Low Fat Diet With Omega-3 Supplement Reduces Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

A low-fat diet alone is not sufficient to combat Metabolic Syndrome. New research shows that supplementing a low-fat diet with Omega-3 Fatty Acids, such as fish oil or krill oil, can help to prevent the occurence of Metabolic Syndrome.

In a free-living, single-blinded dietary intervention study involving 417 patients with the metabolic syndrome (MetS), in which patients were randomized to one of four isoenergetic diets distinct in fat quantity and quality for a period of 12 weeks: 1) high saturated fatty acids; 2) high monounsaturated fatty acids; 3) low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diets supplemented with long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; 4) low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diet supplemented with placebo, adherence to a low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diet along with omega-3 PUFAs supplementation was found to be associated with reductions in plasma triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations, particularly in male subjects, thus improving the metabolic syndrome risk profile in these subjects.

Fish is great to eat unless it is fried… Fried fish may be tied to stroke

States included in the stroke belt, where stroke deaths are higher than in other parts of the country, are Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. In that region is the stroke buckle--the coastal plains regions of North and South Carolina and Georgia--where the highest stroke death rates are concentrated. The study authors looked at data on 21,675 people who were part of the on-going "Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke" study. Only 23% of participants ate two or more servings of non-fried fish a week, recommended by the American Heart Assn. Those in the stroke buckle were 17% less apt to meet the heart association guidelines than people in the rest of the country.

Men and women who lived in the stroke belt were 30% more likely to consume two servings or more per week of fried fish than those in other parts of the U.S. African Americans ate more fish than whites, but most of the fish they ate was fried. The researchers note that fish (and especially fatty fish) contains omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce the risk of heart disease. But when fish is fried, those fatty acids are likely lost.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-fried-fish-20101223,0,7364226.story

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Nutrients and Diet

Alpha Lipoic Acid Amino Acids Antioxidants Arginine Calcium Carnitine Carotene Chromium Picolinate Citrulline Coenzyme Q10 DHEA Fat Fiber Fruit and Vegetables Garlic Ginkgo Biloba Glucosamine Vegetarian Diet Green Tea Iron Lutein Lycopene Magnesium Mediterranean Diet Multivitamins Nitric Oxide Nuts Olives Omega 3 Fatty Acids Policosanols Polyphenols Pomegranate Probiotics Pycnogenol Red Yeast Rice Salt Saffron Selenium Soy Theanine Vitamin A Vitamin B Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K White Tea Zinc