Macro partitioning
Replacing saturated fatty acids (SAFA) with unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA or PUFA) significantly reduces LDL cholesterol and improves insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
To lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) and improve insulin sensitivity, swap 5% of your calories from saturated fats (found in fatty meats, butter, full-fat dairy) for unsaturated fats (found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish). This swap should be isocaloric, meaning you don't add extra calories, just change the source. This change is supported by strong evidence from meta-analyses of clinical trials.
According to the results of meta-analyses of RCTs, replacing 5% of calories from SAFA with MUFA or PUFA (predominantly linoleic acid; C18:2n-6) is able to significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 0.21 mmol/L (8 mg/dL) and 0.28 mmol/L (11 mg/dL), respectively. In addition, this dietary approach is able to significantly improve insulin sensitivity and reduce triglyceride levels...
Why this rating
Based on meta-analyses of RCTs and prospective cohort studies, though the paper notes some methodological difficulties in nutritional trials.
Source
Diet, Lifestyle, Smoking
Lâle Tokgözoğlu et al. · Handbook of experimental pharmacology · 2020
DOI 10.1007/164_2020_353
More from this paper
- Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) increase the risk of coronary heart disease and sudden death more strongly than any other nutrient, primarily by raising LDL cholesterol and lowering HDL cholesterol.Strong
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- High dietary fiber intake (25-29 g/day) and whole grain consumption (40-50 g/day) are associated with a 15-30% decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and a 20-30% risk reduction in coronary heart disease.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →