Get to know your fats

Cholesterol: the role of the diet

Obesity leads to insulin resistance and diabetes, which indirectly promotes atherosclerosis. And obesity, of course, is often the result of an inappropriate diet.

Saturated vs unsaturated fats

Fat forms part of a healthy diet. But the type of fat you include is very important. Saturated fats are generally unhealthy, while unsaturated fats are much better.

Trans fatty acids

When unsaturated vegetable fats are hydrogenated, the process produces yet another type of fatty acid as a side product – a trans fatty acid.

Which fats are healthy?

We need a certain amount of fat in our diets since some fat is necessary for good health. Which fats can we safely eat?

What happens to the fat we eat?

We get fat and cholesterol from the food we eat. They are then broken down in the gut and reassembled into complex lipid molecules.

Lowering your fat intake

Most experts suggest a step-wise approach to lower fat intake, aiming to use a combination of diet and other lifestyle measures to reduce LDL cholesterol.