Studies Daily unsaturated oils prolong our lives

Special fats could save many people from death every year
Fats generally have a bad reputation. Often it is not advised to consume a lot of fat. But not all fats are unhealthy. Special fats could even help prevent heart disease.
Healthy fats are found in olive oil or fish and could help reduce the number of heart diseases. Scientists at Tufts University in Boston came to this conclusion. The researchers now publish their study in the journal "American Heart Association".

Healthy fats protect against cardiovascular diseases. Picture: volff - fotolia

Scientists: People need to eat more healthy fats
The number of deaths from heart disease, due to inadequate intake of healthy fats, "is almost three times greater than the number of deaths from excessive consumption of saturated fats," the American researchers said in their study. Such saturated fats are found in meat, cheese and other dairy products, as well as palm and coconut oils. For decades, it is often discouraged from consuming saturated fats. So heart disease should be reduced. The bigger problem, however, is that "people in many countries consume too little healthy fats," explained study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian.

Consume more olive oil, healthy cooking oil and nuts to protect your heart
For the study, researchers examined dietary habits and deaths from heart disease in 186 countries. About 711,800 deaths from heart disease annually (10.3 percent of deaths worldwide) are associated with low intakes of healthy fats, the experts write. The so-called omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are contained in vegetable oils. About 250,900 people (3.6 percent of the world's heart disease deaths) died because they consumed too much saturated fat. Many deaths could be prevented by increasing the intake of healthy fat. "It's likely to add health benefits to people consuming omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids instead of carbohydrates," the researchers added. Instead of eating two slices of bread, for example, you could just eat a piece of bread and plenty of olive oil or healthy cooking oil or nuts, Dr. Mozaffarian.

Deaths from the consumption of trans fatty acids have increased in recent years
The researchers also found that about 537,200 deaths in 2010 were caused by excessive intake of trans fatty acids. These are used in some countries in baked or fried foods and edible fats. The scientists looked at the pattern of heart disease deaths. They found that the rate of heart disease deaths decreased by 9 percent between 1990 and 2000 due to inadequate intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat.

The rate of death from heart disease, due to a high intake of saturated fats, fell by 21 percent. Deaths from heart disease, due to a high consumption of trans fatty acids increased by 4 percent, the scientists said in their study. The new findings suggest that people should consume more healthy fats than animal fats. It would be even better if healthy fats were consumed instead of refined starches and carbohydrates, Dr. Mozaffarian. Such healthy fats are contained in fish, nuts and vegetable oil. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death, killing about 610,000 people each year, the doctors report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and non-smoking can prevent heart disease in humans. (As)