Research
Macro partitioning
Trans fatty acids significantly increase the risk of coronary heart disease by raising LDL cholesterol, lowering HDL cholesterol, increasing lipoprotein(a), and promoting insulin resistance.
Avoid trans fats completely. They are found in partially hydrogenated oils, often in baked goods, crackers, and fried foods. Eliminating them significantly lowers heart disease risk.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
A higher intake of trans fat can contribute to increased risk of CHD through multiple mechanisms. First, trans fatty acids raise LDL cholesterol levels... and lower HDL cholesterol... Second, trans fat increases lipoprotein (a) levels... Fourth, trans fatty acids can adversely affect essential fatty acid metabolism... Finally, recent data have suggested that high intake of trans fat may promote insulin resistance in humans
Why this rating
Consistent findings across prospective cohort studies (Nurses' Health Study, Health Professionals' Follow-up Study) and metabolic studies.
Source
Types of Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review
Frank B. Hu et al. · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · 2001
DOI 10.1080/07315724.2001.10719008
narrative_reviewCited 903×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) significantly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, whereas simply reducing total fat intake without regard to fat type does not provide the same benefit.Strong
- Higher intake of n-3 fatty acids (from fish or plant sources) substantially lowers the risk of cardiovascular mortality.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
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