By DV82XL, Section News Posted on Sun May 13, 2007 at 10:59:18 PM PST
A new study in mice raises a tantalizing possibility - that humans may one day be able to eat any kind of fat they want without raising their risk of heart disease.
The study involved deleting a gene in the mice that causes production of ACAT2, an enzyme that alters the molecular structure of cholesterol so that it can be transported to the body's cells.
Groups of female mice with and without the ACAT2 gene were fed six different diets enriched with one of these types of fat: fish oil, flax seed oil, polyunsaturated fat from vegetable oil, saturated fat, trans-monounsaturated fat and cis-monounsaturated fat, such as in olive oil.
Fish oil, flax seed oil and polyunsaturated fats are considered "healthy" fats. Saturated fat — found in meats, milk and cheeses, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil — is considered a main cause of high cholesterol.
There are two types of monounsaturated fatty acids, "cis" and "trans," which are named according to their shapes. Trans-fatty acids are formed when vegetable oil is treated to make it less likely to go rancid and are found in many fried foods, baked goods and potato chips. Cis monounsaturated fat is naturally occurring and is particularly high in canola and olive oil. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required that levels of trans-fats be listed on food labels.
After 20 weeks on the diets, the mice that had the active ACAT2 enzyme and were fed saturated fat and both types of monounsaturated fat had higher levels of cholesterol and more atherosclerosis than the mice that were fed polyunsaturated fats. All of the mice without the ACAT2 enzyme were protected against atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits in the blood vessels that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Details at: CuringDeath.com from a news release issued by Wake Forest University
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