You may have heard that unsaturated fats are better for heart health, but are all unsaturated fats the same? What’s the difference between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats? And where can you find them? Today, we’re going to dive into the world of heart healthy fats. If you missed it, we’ve previously covered saturated fats and trans fats and their role in heart health.
It’s the finale of American Heart Month, and a great time to wrap up our conversation about dietary fats. We’ve previously covered which dietary fats to limit, which ones to keep an eye on, and now it’s time to talk about the ones that are best for heart health! A final reminder that there isn’t one perfect thing you can do to prevent heart disease. There are, however, many things you can do to promote heart health and the more you can do the better!
What are unsaturated fats?
As you may remember from the saturated fats post, dietary fats are primarily made up of a carbon chain with varying amounts of hydrogen attached to each carbon. Unsaturated fats must contain at least one double bond in this chain, meaning every carbon attached to this double bond can’t be fully saturated with hydrogen. Hence the term “unsaturated”, as they aren’t saturated with hydrogens. An unsaturated fat is either monounsaturated (one double bond) or polyunsaturated (more than one double bond) depending on how many double bonds are in the carbon chain. The location of the double bonds determines whether an unsaturated fat qualifies as an omega-3, omega-6, or other omega (there are more than just 3 and 6).
Are unsaturated fats good for you?
Yes! Unsaturated fats, regardless of which type, were found to lower heart disease risk when used to replace saturated fats.
Okay, so which is better: monounsaturated or polyunsaturated?
The short answer is that both are best. At this point, we don’t have good data to suggest focusing more on one over the other. We do know that both of these fats promote heart health, so getting a good mix of both is wise while we wait for more research.
Where can I find monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats?
Most foods contain a combination of different dietary fats. Good sources of monounsaturated fats include plant foods like nuts, avocados, canola oil, and olive oil (among others). Good sources of polyunsaturated fats include walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax, fish (salmon, albacore tuna, trout, etc), soybean oil, and safflower oil (among others). Focusing on a variety of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated rich foods is ideal.
So what’s the deal with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids?
This is going to be a bit of a TL;DR because I could (and probably will) write an entire blog post just on the omegas (there’s a lot to unpack). We need both omega-3s and omega-6s (these are polyunsaturated fats). They are termed “essential fatty acids” because our bodies need them, but can’t make them on their own (we need to get them from food). Some research shows that eating fish promotes heart health. Hence, the recommendation for Americans to consume 2 servings of fatty fish per week. There is some thought that the omega-3 content of fatty fish is responsible for the heart health benefits, but research on this is limited. You can also get omega-3s from plant foods, however, these omega-3s aren’t quite as available to the body. They are, however, still good sources of polyunsaturated fat, which we know is beneficial. The evidence is also mixed when it comes to fish oil supplements and their potential heart health benefits in those who don’t yet have heart disease. Right now, we know more about omega-3s benefit in foods, and need more research before recommending supplements to everyone. (Keep in mind that supplements are also unregulated, more on this in my dietary supplements post). So that’s the watered down version, more on the omegas in a future post!
TL;DR
Unsaturated fats promote heart health when eaten in place of saturated fats.
Unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, there isn’t good evidence that one is superior to the other.
Good sources of monounsaturated fats include nuts, avocados, canola, and olive oil.
Good sources of polyunsaturated fats include walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax, fatty fish (salmon, trout, albacore tuna, etc), soybean oil, and safflower oil.
Focusing on eating a variety of foods that contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats is best.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends Americans consume 2 servings of fatty fish per week.