Saturated Fat Linked to Accumulation of Dangerous Belly Fat

By Diane Fennell Eating saturated fat leads to the accumulation of more visceral fat and less muscle mass than eating polyunsaturated fat, according to new research published in the journal Diabetes. Visceral fat, a dangerous type of abdominal fat that wraps itself around the internal organs, has been linked to metabolic disturbances such as Type 2 diabetes. Saturated fat is known to raise blood cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. This type of fat is found mostly in animal foods, including meat and dairy products, as well as in many baked goods and fried foods. Polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand, can help reduce blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. Food sources of polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils, walnuts and sunflower seeds, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and trout. To determine the effects of dietary fat composition on fat storage in the body, researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden looked at 39 young adults who were randomly assigned to eat 750 extra calories per day from high-fat muffins made with either saturated fat (palm oil) or polyunsaturated fat (sunflower oil). Aside from the type of fat in the muffins, all other aspects of the diet — including the sugar, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content — were the same. The participants were given a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at the start of the study to determine their fat and muscle mass, and also had the ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs