The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of April 4th, 2018

#9 Plant-based mono-unsaturated fats lower risk of death from heart disease

In Louisiana, diets rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids from plants were associated with a lower risk of dying from heart disease or other causes compared to diets rich in mono-unsaturated fats from animals, which were linked to a higher risk of death from heart disease or other causes.

“Our results emphasize the importance of the source and quantity of mono-unsaturated fatty acids in the diet – we should eat more mono-unsaturated fatty acids from plant sources and less mono-unsaturated fatty acids from animal sources,” said Marta Guasch-Ferré, Ph.D., a research associate and one of the lead authors of this study along with Geng Zong, Ph.D., a research fellow.

Mono-unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and solidify when refrigerated.  Sources of plant-based mono-unsaturated fats include olive and other vegetable oils, avocados and many nuts and seeds.  Sources of animal-based mono-unsaturated fats include full-fat dairy products, eggs, poultry, red meats and fish.