Health experts have always advised to avoid the consumption of unhealthy fats that are present in red meat and dairy products in an effort to maintain health of our hearts. Animal fats are likely to stick to the walls of our heart vessels that can result in plagues, leading to heart attacks, strokes and various heart-related issues. However, a new study has revealed that an increase in the consumption of healthy fats is equally important to avoid heart diseases. The research involved the compilation of studies associated with dietary information of 3.8 billion people in 186 countries.

A research undertaken by the Dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Science Policy, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, and his colleagues has suggested that since all fats are not equal, it is important to consume higher quantities of healthy fats, known as polyunsaturated fats that are present in plants, nuts and fish. These fats safeguard the heart and reduce the risk of heart diseases significantly. They found that the consumption of excessive saturated fats resulted in 3.6% of total heart deaths across the world, while less consumption of plant oils resulted in more than 10% of the global heart deaths. This concludes that consuming very less vegetable oils resulted in three times more heart deaths as compared to those associated with consuming saturated fats.

Mozaffarian stated that concentrating on higher consumption of healthy fats can have the maximum positive effect on preventing heart diseases. “There is still benefit in reducing animal fats but it’s important to think about not just reducing the bad fats in the diet but increasing the good things as well in order to improve our health,” said Mozaffarian.

The reason being that people with less saturated fat consumption have a tendency to have more carbohydrates, which get converted into triglycerides and get accumulated in the body as fats.