All posts tagged: Fats

Dementia Prevention: How Swapping Animal Fats For Vegetable Oils Lowers Risk

Dementia Prevention: How Swapping Animal Fats For Vegetable Oils Lowers Risk

Published by Sam Flores

Some research suggests that sticking to a Mediterranean diet might lower a person’s risk of dementia by as much as 23%. That involves loads of vegetables, whole grains, and olive oil. A new study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which followed thousands of older participants for years, has suggested that the type of oil you cook with could affect dementia risk, too. “Replacing animal fat and saturated fat with vegetable fat and monounsaturated fats could serve as a dementia prevention strategy,” it reads. Why might that be? The researchers looked at the data from just under 6,000 participants who had an average age of 68 at the start of the study. None had dementia in the beginning. The study authors asked participants to fill in surveys about the food they most regularly ate. That included the oils they cooked with, but they also counted oils already present in premade food they consumed. Scientists split the oils they consumed into animal and vegetable fats, and also marked which were monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats …

Swapping animal fats for vegetable oils is linked to a lower risk of dementia

Swapping animal fats for vegetable oils is linked to a lower risk of dementia

Published by José Betancourt

Swapping animal-based fats for vegetable oils is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia in older adults. Based on a long-term analysis of dietary habits, researchers found that the specific types of fat a person consumes correlate with their cognitive health later in life. The research was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Dementia is a progressive neurological condition characterized by a decline in memory, thinking, and reasoning skills. With global dementia cases expected to rise sharply in the coming decades, identifying ways to prevent or delay its onset is a high priority for public health. Because there are currently no treatments that can cure dementia, medical professionals frequently look to modifiable lifestyle factors to help preserve cognitive function. Diet is one of the most prominent of these factors, but the relationship between dietary fat intake and dementia has remained unclear. Fat is an essential nutrient for the human body, particularly for the brain, which is composed largely of fatty tissue. Certain fats are needed to build cellular membranes, clear away harmful …

Here’s how to cut down on trans fats without changing your lifestyle

Here’s how to cut down on trans fats without changing your lifestyle

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Work is finished, and you’re tired and hungry. Maybe you’re rushing home or to daycare pickup. You know you should be cooking dinner from scratch for the healthiest choice but that isn’t going to happen for a variety of reasons. You just need something quick and easy. Then, you remember those headlines about trans fats in some packaged convenience foods and you start to worry. If this feels familiar, here’s what you need to know. What exactly are trans fats? Typically, we talk about two major groups of dietary fats – unsaturated and saturated. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. It’s the saturated fats that are associated with health concerns as they can raise LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol and increase inflammation. Trans fats …

Micro Softy 62: The Ordeal of Sisyphus Fats

Micro Softy 62: The Ordeal of Sisyphus Fats

Published by Jenni Sidey

The best computer programmers and engineers must be good at scheduling. This week’s Micro Softy tests this ability. Big Tony Mullins, known to his friends as Sisyphus Fats, exercises by pushing a giant bowling ball up a 100 foot hill. Every minute, he pushes the ball three feet closer to the top and then the bowling ball slides two feet back.  After regaining his breath, Sisyphus Fats pushes the ball another three feet up the hill and it slides back two. This happens every minute. How many minutes did it take for Sisyphus Fats to push the ball to the top of the 100 foot hill? Solution to Micro Softy 61: Take Five Last week’s Micro Softy asked what popular movie franchise theme is written in the unusual key signature 5/4? The answer is the theme for the Mission Impossible movie franchise starring Tom Cruz. Did the hint help? James Arness played Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke. Before the movies, on the television series Mission Impossible, the star was James Arness’ younger brother Peter Graves. Graves …

The Best Foods for Healthy Fats, According to Experts

The Best Foods for Healthy Fats, According to Experts

Published by Jenni Sidey

Fat is perpetually villainized, but it shouldn’t be. You need fat to function. But the question is: which are the healthy fats and which aren’t? “For years, fat was seen as unhealthy so we began a strong focus to remove it from our diets whenever we could,” says Toral Shah, a nutritional scientist at the UK-based Wiley’s Finest supplements. “But, over the past decade, the perception of dietary fat has changed considerably, emphasizing the importance of fat type over total quantity.” Saturated fats, often found in deep-fried foods, should generally be consumed only occasionally. But unsaturated fats, like avocados and fish oils are now considered beneficial. In fact, Shah says good fats may even help lower the risk of heart disease. With fat now considered firmly on the menu, here’s everything you need to know about which foods to prioritize. What does fat do in our bodies? Fats aren’t just a source of energy. According to Dr. Krutika Nanavati, a registered clinical nutritionist and sports dietitian, fats serve a number of critical roles including helping …