Omega-7: The New Fat in Town

By Amy Campbell Just when you thought you had the whole fat thing down, along comes another type of fat to think about. This fat (actually, fatty acid) is known as omega-7, and you might consider it to be a cousin of the omega-3 fatty acids (sometimes referred to as fish oils, although they're found in plants, too). A brief fat primer Fat, in general, can be confusing. It seems like there are so many types to contend with. In general, there are two categories of fat: healthful and unhealthful. Healthful fats are called unsaturated fats and they include: • Monounsaturated fats. Found in olives and olive oil, canola oil, and avocados, this type of fat can lower cholesterol and may help improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes. • Polyunsaturated fats. Found in corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and fatty fish (in the form of omega-3 fatty acids), the "polys" also help lower cholesterol, may help prevent Type 2 diabetes, and in the case of omega-3 fatty acids, can help lower triglycerides (blood fats). The unhealthful fats are: • Saturated fats. Solid at room temperature and found in butter, lard, shortening, red meat, and whole milk, these fats are thought to raise LDL (“bad") cholesterol and increase heart disease risk. • Trans fats. Formed when liquid oils are partially hydrogenated, trans fats may raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL (“good") cholesterol. Omega-7s Like their cousins the omega-3s, omega-7 fatty acids ar...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs