A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion

Abstract

Consumers are often confused about nutrition research findings and recommendations. As content experts, it is essential that nutrition scientists communicate effectively. A case-study of the history of dietary fat science and recommendations is presented, summarizing presentations from an Experimental Biology Symposium that addressed techniques for effective scientific communication and used the scientific discourse of public understanding of dietary fats and health as an example of challenges in scientific communication. Decades of dietary recommendations have focused on balancing calorie intake and energy expenditure and decreasing fat. Reducing saturated fat has been a cornerstone of dietary recommendations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction. However, evidence from observational studies and randomized clinical trials demonstrates that replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates, specifically refined, has no benefit on CVD risk, while substituting polyunsaturated fats for either saturated fat or carbohydrate reduces risk. A significant body of research supports the unique health benefits of dietary patterns and foods that contain plant and marine sources of unsaturated fats. Yet, after decades of focus on low-fat diets, many consumers, food manufacturers, and restauranteurs remain confused about the role of dietary fats on disease risk and sources of healthy fats. Shifting dietary recommendations to focus on food-based dietary patterns would facilitate translation to the public and potentially remedy widespread misperceptions about what constitutes a healthful dietary pattern.

Relationships between Nut Size, Kernel Quality, Nutritional Composition and Levels of Outcrossing in Three Macadamia Cultivars

“…Small "Daddow" kernels had lower total-SFA relative abundance, higher total-UFA relative abundance and, thus, a higher UFA:SFA ratio than large kernels ( Table 3). The differences in total-SFA and total-UFA relative abundance were less than 1% but they could confer a slight health advantage on small "Daddow" kernels because of the beneficial effects of dietary UFAs in regulating lipid levels, maintaining healthy body weight and preventing inflammation [12,13,18,70]. Total-SFA relative abundance, total-UFA relative abundance and UFA:SFA ratio did not differ significantly between small and large kernels of "816" or "A4" (Table 3).…”

Milk and Montasio‐type cheese fatty acid composition from cows grazing on timothy and reed canarygrass pasture or fed indoor

“…With regarding to products of animal origin, the quantity and quality of fat is viewed with suspicion. In the United States of America, the consumption of fat by consumers as well as of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) is constantly reduced following the recommendations of various international organizations (Liu et al, ). However, some fatty acids (FAs) such as n‐3 and n‐6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), which have important beneficial effects on human health, are present in products of animal origin (European Food Safety Authority [EFSA], ).…”

Perception of Healthy Eating among Romanian Adults

“…Analyzing the response score averages for each question, we observed some general trends in the respondents' perception of healthy eating and their preferences for information sources on the subject. Thus, in Section 19 of the questionnaire, the general direction of the answers was in line with the 'direction' in which the questions were formulated: 'positive' questions (3,4,5,6, and 9) obtained average scores above the neutral value of 3, and 'negative' questions (1, 2, 7, 8, and 10) obtained averages below 3.…”

“…It is also advisable to consume predominately unsaturated fats at the expense of saturated ones and to avoid industrial trans fats as much as possible. 5 One of the diseases associated with an unhealthy diet is type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented or its onset delayed by maintaining a healthy diet and an adequate level of daily physical activity, by maintaining body weight within normal limits, and by avoiding smoking. Regular screening, along with treatment measures for associated complications, are also part of the management of type 2 diabetes.…”