According to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, it is estimated that 711,800 people die annually because they don’t eat enough omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. They also estimate that 537,200 deaths are caused by people eating too many trans fats and that another 250, 900 perish from the over-consumption of saturated fats (in lieu of healthier ones like vegetable oils).
Researchers determined these totals by diet and food availability data from 186 nations and previous studies on the relationships between fats, heart disease and geographic location. Saturated fats are most commonly found in meats and cheeses as well as in coconut and palm oils, and you’ll find your trans fat in your baked, fried and processed foods.
They believe that polyunsaturated fats are important to good health because they have been found to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. You’ll find these fats in oils made from nuts, seeds and fish.
From the press release:
“Worldwide, policymakers are focused on reducing saturated fats. Yet, we found there would be a much bigger impact on heart disease deaths if the priority was to increase the consumption of polyunsaturated fats as a replacement for saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, as well as to reduce trans fats,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H., senior study author and dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy in Boston.
If you’re looking to get more healthy fat in your diet, look no further than AIM’s AIMega. It’s made from the oils of flaxseed, sesame seed, olive and sunflower seed, providing the body with 2 grams of polyunsaturated fat in every serving. It also has 1,140 mg of omega-3 and 570 mg of omega-6, a scientifically balanced formula.
The AIM Companies 