Dietary Fats, Human Nutrition and the Environment: Balance and Sustainability

Abstract

Dietary fats are essential ingredients of a healthy diet. Their production, however, impacts the environment and its capacity to sustain us. Growing knowledge across multiple disciplines improves our understanding of links between food, health and sustainability, but increases apparent complexity. Whereas past dietary guidelines placed limits on total fat intake especially saturated fats, recent studies indicate more complex links with health. Guidelines differ between regions of general poverty and malnutrition and those where obesity is a growing problem. Optimization of production to benefit health and environmental outcomes is hindered by limited data and shared societal goals. We lack a detailed overview of where fats are being produced, and their environmental impacts. Furthermore, the yields of different crops, for producing oils or feeding animals, and the associated land needs for meeting oil demands, differ greatly. To illuminate these matters, we review current discourse about the nutritional aspects of edible fats, summarize the inferred environmental implications of their production and identify knowledge gaps.

The critical issue linking lipids and inflammation: Clinical utility of stopping oxidative stress

“…now recognized as an essential regulator of innate immunity (242). Fat is also an essential ingredient for health (243).…”

“…Cholesterol is a vital hormone ingredient, now recognized as an essential regulator of innate immunity ( 242 ). Fat is also an essential ingredient for health ( 243 ). Their transport to cells depends on apoB.…”

Fat Quality Impacts the Effect of a High-Fat Diet on the Fatty Acid Profile, Life History Traits and Gene Expression in Drosophila melanogaster

“…The global supply and consumption of dietary fats and oils from animal- and plant-derived sources is continuously increasing, whereas the majority of dietary fats are provided by vegetable fats and oils (e.g., derived from palm, soybean, sunflower and rapeseed). These nutritional fats and oils often differ considerably in their fatty acid composition [ 4 ]. Fat quality has been recognized as an important factor that determines the nutritional value of oils and fats owing to its effect on the lipid metabolism and health parameters [ 5 ].…”

“…The exchange of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) with mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs, PUFAs) is usually recommended to reduce chronic diseases related to the so-called metabolic syndrome. However, in particular, the impact of total fat and saturated fat in the diet has been the object of debate [ 4 ] and inconsistent findings were reported for total fat intake and the risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity [ 8 ], diabetes [ 9 ] and cardiovascular diseases [ 10 ] in humans.…”

“…Secondly, HFD based on different fat sources were used to evaluate the impact of fat quality on body composition, several life-history traits and differential gene expression of D. melanogaster . Adapted to the global shift in choice of dietary fats from animal- to plant-based sources in recent years [ 4 ], HFDs were prepared using also the plant-derived oils sunflower oil (SO), olive oil (OO) and linseed oil (LO) in our Drosophila feeding trials. Moreover, the oils were selected based on a diverse range of fatty acid compositions.…”