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Definition

Monounsaturated fat is a type of dietary fat. It is one of the healthy fats, along with polyunsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature but start to harden when chilled.

Saturated fats and trans fats are solid at room temperature. These unhealthy fats can increase your risk for heart disease and other health problems.

Monounsaturated fats are found in plant foods, such as nuts, avocados, and vegetable oils. Eating moderate amounts of monounsaturated (and polyunsaturated) fats in place of saturated and trans fats can benefit your health.

How Monounsaturated Fats Affect Your Health

Monounsaturated fats are good for your health in several ways:

• They can help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that can cause clogged, or blocked, arteries (blood vessels). Keeping your LDL level low reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke.
• Monounsaturated fats help develop and maintain your cells.

How Much You Can Eat

Your body needs some fats for energy and other functions. Monounsaturated fats are a healthy choice.

How much should you get every day? Here are recommendations from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

• Aim for getting no more than 10% of your total daily calories from saturated fat (found in red meat, butter, cheese, and whole-fat dairy products). For a 2,000 calorie diet, that is a total of 200 calories, or 22 grams a day.
• Keep total fat consumption to no more than 25% to 30% of your daily calories. This includes monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Eating healthier fats is good for your health. But eating too much fat can lead to weight gain. All fats contain 9 calories per gram of fat. This is more than twice the amount found in carbohydrates and protein.

It is not enough to add foods high in unsaturated fats to a diet filled with unhealthy foods and fats. Instead, replace saturated or trans fats with healthier, unsaturated fats.

Reading Nutrition Labels

All packaged foods have a nutrition label that includes fat content. Reading food labels can help you keep track of how much fat you eat.

• Check the total fat in one serving. Be sure to add up the number of servings you will eat in one sitting.
• Look closely at the amount of saturated fat and trans fat in a serving. The rest is unsaturated fat. Some labels will list the monounsaturated fat content, some will not.
• Make sure most of your daily fats are from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources.
• Many fast-food restaurants also provide nutrition information on their menus. If you do not see it posted, ask your server. You also may be able to find it on the restaurant's website.

Making Healthy Food Choices

Most foods have a combination of all types of fats. Some have higher amounts of healthy fats than others. Foods and oils with higher amounts of monounsaturated fats include:

• Nuts
• Avocado
• Canola oil
• Olive oil
• Safflower oil (high oleic)
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil and butter
• Sesame oil

To get the health benefits, you need to replace unhealthy fats with healthy fats. Here are some ideas:

• Eat nuts instead of cookies for a snack. Be sure to keep your portion small, as nuts are high in calories.
• Add avocado to salads and sandwiches instead of dressings and mayonnaise.
• Replace butter and solid fats with olive, avocado, or canola oil.

References

Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;73(24):e285-e350. PMID: 30423393 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30423393/.

Hensrud DD. Diet and nutrition. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 13.

Mozaffarian D. Nutrition and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 29.

US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th ed. www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf. Updated December 2020. Accessed May 13, 2024.

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