Mixing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids may lower cholesterol

How do you take your MUFAs and PUFAs? Mixed? Excellent.

In the e-Alert “Fat in the Hat” (7/14/05), I told you about a Dutch study that revealed a significant link between a high intake of fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease. MUFAs are found in olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds, while one of the primary forms of PUFAs is omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, fish oils and grass-fed beef.

Now a new study shows that consuming a good mix of these two fatty acids may also lower cholesterol.

Pennsylvania State University researchers evaluated the effects of a sunflower oil product called NuSun, which contains PUFAs and MUFAs, but is low in saturated fats and contains no trans fatty acids. (There’s no disclaimer attached to the study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, so it appears that NuSun did not underwrite the study.)

When researchers tested three different diets on 12 men and 19 women with mildly elevated cholesterol, subjects on the NuSun diet reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol by nearly five percent and six percent respectively, compared to an olive oil diet and a control diet described as an “average American diet.”

Obviously this is a small study, so I’ll be on the lookout for further confirmation about the benefits of combining PUFAs and MUFAs.

Meanwhile, I wanted to share a quote from a NutraIngredients-USA.com article that reported on this study: “Health care professionals are increasingly recommending a dietary approach to controlling cholesterol over prescription drugs such as statins, which may have serious side effects.”

Hmm. Could HSI’s long-held position on statin drugs finally be catching on in the mainstream?

Sources:
“Mix MUFAs and FUFAs for Best Heart Benefit, Says Study” Jess Halliday, NutraIngredients-USA.com, 6/7/05, nutraingredients-usa.com