Facts about Fats, Oils, Health, and Sustainability

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This chapter examines dietary fats and oils, explaining the biochemical differences between saturated, unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans-fat and their impacts on development, obesity, and chronic diseases. It discusses the role of low-fat foods in a healthy diet and debunks misinformation on coconut oil, medium-chain tryglycerides (MCTs), and obesity. It discusses whether dietary cholesterol directly raises blood cholesterol and causes heart disease, revealing that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats improves cardiovascular health while industrial trans-fats increase heart disease. It explores essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega-3s and omega-6 fatty acids, highlighting the low intakes but critical role of omega-3s EPA and DHA in brain and eye health—and high omega-6 intakes in Western diets may contribute to chronic diseases. The chapter draws attention to the ubiquitous role of palm oil in diets around the world and describes environmental and ethical issues, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental degradation.