Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Nov;18(11):111.
doi: 10.1007/s11886-016-0793-y.

Progressing Insights into the Role of Dietary Fats in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Peter L Zock  1 , Wendy A M Blom  2 , Joyce A Nettleton  3 , Gerard Hornstra  4
Affiliations
Review

Progressing Insights into the Role of Dietary Fats in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Peter L Zock et al. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Dietary fats have important effects on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Abundant evidence shows that partial replacement of saturated fatty acids (SAFA) with unsaturated fatty acids improves the blood lipid and lipoprotein profile and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Low-fat diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugar are not effective. Very long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 or omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 VLCPUFA) present in fish have multiple beneficial metabolic effects, and regular intake of fatty fish is associated with lower risks of fatal CHD and stroke. Food-based guidelines on dietary fats recommend limiting the consumption of animal fats high in SAFA, using vegetable oils high in monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and eating fatty fish. These recommendations are part of a healthy eating pattern that also includes ample intake of plant-based foods rich in fiber and limited sugar and salt.

Keywords: Blood lipids and lipoproteins; Omega-3; Omega-6; Review; Saturated fat; Unsaturated fat.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Peter L. Zock and Wendy A.M. Blom are employed by Unilever Research & Development. Joyce A. Nettleton reports personal fees from Unilever Research & Development. Gerard Hornstra reports personal fees from MVO (Netherlands Oils and Fats Industry), EPOA (European Palm Oil Alliance), and Unilever/IUNS (International Union of Nutritional Sciences). Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent This article does not contain any new data from studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Specific saturated fatty acid composition of common foods and fats
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Brouwer IA. Effect of trans-fatty acid intake on blood lipids and lipoproteins: a systematic reveiw and meta-regression analysis. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2016.
    1. Lichtenstein AH. Dietary trans fatty acids and cardiovascular disease risk: past and present. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2014;16(8):433. - PubMed
    1. FAO . Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition. Rome: Report of an expert consultation; 2010. - PubMed
    1. Harcombe Z, Baker JS, Cooper SM, Davies B, Sculthorpe N, DiNicolantonio JJ, et al. Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Heart. 2015;2(1) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramsden CE, Zamora D, Majchrzak-Hong S, Faurot KR, Broste SK, Frantz RP, et al. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968–73) BMJ. 2016;353:i1246. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources