There are several different types of fat, generally categorized as heathy fats and unhealthy fats. Consuming excessive amounts of saturated fat, and any amount of trans fat, raises your bad (LDL) blood cholesterol levels. Trans fats at the same time lower your HDL (healthy) levels. High LDL and low HDL cholesterol levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease in people both with and without diabetes, as previously noted. Here Rauiri Robertson, PhD, HealthLine.com, reflects on the benefits of monounsaturated fats:

“Monounsaturated fats are healthy fats found in olive oil, avocados and certain nuts.

In fact, the evidence shows that monounsaturated fats have a number of health benefits.

They can help with weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease inflammation.

This article will discuss monounsaturated fats and the scientific evidence behind their advantages.

What are monounsaturated fats?

There are a number of different types of fat in your diet, which vary in their chemical structure.

Unsaturated fats are those that have double bonds in their chemical structure.

Monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, are a type of unsaturated fat. “Mono,” meaning one, signifies that monounsaturated fats have only one double bond.

There are many different types of MUFAs. Oleic acid is the most common type, comprising around 90% of those found in the diet (1Trusted Source).

Other MUFAs include palmitoleic acid and vaccenic acid.

Many foods are high in MUFAs, but most consist of a combination of different fats. There are very few foods that contain only one type of fat.

For example, olive oil is very high in MUFAs and other types of fat.

Foods that are high in unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, are usually liquid at room temperature, whereas foods that are high in saturated fats, such as butter and coconut oil, are usually solid at room temperature.

These different fats affect health and disease differently. Monounsaturated fats, in particular, have been shown to have a number of health benefits (2Trusted Source).

Monounsaturated fats may help you lose weight

All fats provide the same amount of energy — 9 calories per gram — while carbs and protein provide 4 calories per gram.

Therefore, reducing the amount of fat in your diet can be an effective way to reduce your calorie intake and lose weight.

However, a diet with moderate-to-high amounts of monounsaturated fats can also help with weight loss, as long as you aren’t eating more calories than you’re burning (3Trusted Source).

A couple of studies have shown that when calorie intake remained the same, diets high in MUFAs led to weight loss similar to that of low-fat diets (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

For example, one study of 124 people who were overweight or obese found that eating either a high-MUFA diet (20% of total calories) or a high-carb diet for one year led to comparable weight loss of around 8.8 pounds (4 kg) (6Trusted Source).

A larger study that combined the results of 24 other studies showed that high-MUFA diets are slightly more effective than high-carb diets for weight loss (7Trusted Source).

Therefore, high-MUFA diets can be an effective way to lose weight when replacing other calories, rather than adding extra calories to the diet.”

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