Macro partitioning
Substituting dietary saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids improves insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals, whereas high saturated fat intake is associated with insulin resistance.
To improve your body's sensitivity to insulin, focus on the quality of the fats you eat rather than just cutting total fat. Replace saturated fats (found in red meat, butter) with unsaturated fats (found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish). This substitution, done while keeping your overall calorie intake stable, has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. You do not need to eliminate fat entirely; simply choosing the right types supports metabolic health.
a change in the proportions of dietary fatty acids, decreasing saturated fatty acids and increasing monounsaturated fatty acids, improved insulin sensitivity but had no effect on insulin secretion.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple controlled intervention studies (KANWU, Perez-Jimenez, Summers) and consistent observational data, though causality in complex diets is noted as not fully proven.
Source
Dietary fat, fatty acid composition in plasma and the metabolic syndrome
Bengt Vessby · Current Opinion in Lipidology · 2003
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