top of page
Search

Should we be Following a Low-Fat Diet?

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Dec 16, 2020
  • 3 min read

Updated: Sep 19

Emerson Ecologics | Jul 1, 2020


Over the last few years, there has been a ridiculous amount of back and forth debate on the pros and cons of high and low-fat diets. Keep reading for a dietitian's perspective on the matter!


What matters more than the quantity of fat is the type of fat being consumed. Prioritize unsaturated fats over saturated fats in your diet. Doing so promotes a more anti-inflammatory diet and is more aligned with the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with improved weight management and cardiovascular health.


This article discusses these diets in detail and goes into further explanation on whether this diet is the right one for you: Hyperlink to the original article


Resources


1. Augustin LS, Ellis PR, Vanginkel MA, Riccardi G. Pasta: Is It an Unhealthy Refined Food? J Nutr. 2025 Feb;155(2):378-380. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.11.019. Epub 2024 Dec 4. PMID: 39643242. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39643242/


2. Rosi A, Tesan M, Cremonini A, Biasini B, Bicchieri L, Cossu M, Brighenti F, Dall'Aglio E, Scazzina F. Body weight of individuals with obesity decreases after a 6-month high pasta or low pasta Mediterranean diet weight-loss intervention. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2020 Jun 9;30(6):984-995. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2020.02.013. Epub 2020 Feb 24. PMID: 32402585. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32402585/


3. Huang M, Li J, Ha MA, Riccardi G, Liu S. A systematic review on the relations between pasta consumption and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2017 Nov;27(11):939-948. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2017.07.005. Epub 2017 Jul 18. PMID: 28954707. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28954707/


4. Pounis G, Castelnuovo AD, Costanzo S, Persichillo M, Bonaccio M, Bonanni A, Cerletti C, Donati MB, de Gaetano G, Iacoviello L. Association of pasta consumption with body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio: results from Moli-sani and INHES studies. Nutr Diabetes. 2016 Jul 4;6(7):e218. doi: 10.1038/nutd.2016.20. PMID: 27376700; PMCID: PMC4973136. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27376700/


5. Guasch-Ferré M, Willett WC. The Mediterranean diet and health: a comprehensive overview. J Intern Med. 2021 Sep;290(3):549-566. doi: 10.1111/joim.13333. Epub 2021 Aug 23. PMID: 34423871. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34423871/


6. Alvarez-Alvarez I., Zazpe I., Pérez de Rojas J., Bes-Rastrollo M., Ruiz-Canela M., Fernandez-Montero A., Hidalgo-Santamaría M., Martínez-González M.A. Mediterranean diet, physical activity and their combined effect on all-cause mortality: The Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort. Prev. Med. 2018;106:45–52. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.09.021 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28964855/


7. Guasch-Ferré M, Willett WC. The Mediterranean diet and health: a comprehensive overview. J Intern Med. 2021 Sep;290(3):549-566. doi: 10.1111/joim.13333. Epub 2021 Aug 23. PMID: 34423871. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34423871/


8. Carlos S, De La Fuente-Arrillaga C, Bes-Rastrollo M, Razquin C, Rico-Campà A, Martínez-González MA, Ruiz-Canela M. Mediterranean Diet and Health Outcomes in the SUN Cohort. Nutrients. 2018 Mar 31;10(4):439. doi: 10.3390/nu10040439. PMID: 29614726; PMCID: PMC5946224. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29614726/


9. Martínez-González M.A., Fuente-Arrillaga C., Núñez-Córdoba J.M., Basterra-Gortari F.J., Beunza J.J., Vazquez Z., Benito S., Tortosa A., Bes-Rastrollo M. Adherence to Mediterranean diet and risk of developing diabetes: Prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2008;336:1348–1351. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39561.501007.BE. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18511765/


10. Sánchez-Villegas A., Henríquez-Sánchez P., Ruiz-Canela M., Lahortiga F., Molero P., Toledo E., Martínez-González M.A. A longitudinal analysis of diet quality scores and the risk of incident depression in the SUN Project. BMC Med. 2015;113:197. doi: 10.1186/s12916-015-0428-y. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26377327/


11. Petersen KS, Maki KC, Calder PC, Belury MA, Messina M, Kirkpatrick CF, Harris WS. Perspective on the health effects of unsaturated fatty acids and commonly consumed plant oils high in unsaturated fat. Br J Nutr. 2024 Oct 28;132(8):1039-1050. doi: 10.1017/S0007114524002459. Epub 2024 Oct 30. PMID: 39475012; PMCID: PMC11600290. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39475012/

12. Coniglio S, Shumskaya M, Vassiliou E. Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Immunomodulatory Properties. Biology (Basel). 2023 Feb 9;12(2):279. doi: 10.3390/biology12020279. PMID: 36829556; PMCID: PMC9953405. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9953405/


Emerson Ecologics logo








Comments

bottom of page