Research
Energy balance
Replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly plant-based ePUFAs, is associated with less long-term weight gain and reduced risk of obesity in prospective cohort studies.
To prevent age-related weight gain, replace saturated fats (found in animal products) with polyunsaturated fats (found in plant oils, nuts, seeds). This substitution is associated with less long-term weight gain compared to diets high in saturated fats or trans fats.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
increasing consumption of n-6 and n-3 PUFA, as well as plant-based MUFA, at the expense of carbohydrate was associated with less weight gain, whereas increasing intake of SFA, trans fat, and MUFA from animal sources was associated with greater weight gain.
Why this rating
Based on large prospective cohorts (Nurses' Health Study, PURE study) with long follow-up periods.
Source
Polyunsaturated fatty acids as modulators of fat mass and lean mass in human body composition regulation and cardiometabolic health
Cathríona R. Monnard et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2021
DOI 10.1111/obr.13197
narrative_reviewCited 70×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- High intake of plant-based essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (ePUFAs), specifically linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is associated with increased lean body mass and reduced central adiposity, whereas marine-derived long-chain n-3 PUFAs (EPA/DHA) show no significant impact on body composition.Good
- Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation slightly reduces body fat mass and increases lean body mass in people with overweight and obesity, but may have adverse effects on glucose metabolism and inflammation.Moderate
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