Substituting dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat changes abdominal fat distribution and improves insulin sensitivity
Open accessAbstract
Aims/hypothesis British dietary recommendations are to decrease total fat intake to less than 30 % of daily energy intake and saturated fat to less than 10 %. In practice, it is difficult for people to make these changes. It may be easier to encourage people to switch from a diet rich in saturated fatty acids to one rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.Methods A total of 17 subjects - six people with Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, six non-obese and five obese people without diabetes - were randomised to spend two 5-week periods on a diet rich in saturated or in polyunsaturated fatty acids, in a crossover design. At the start of the study and after each dietary period, we assessed abdominal fat distribution using magnetic resonance imaging, insulin sensitivity using hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps and fasting lipid parameters.Results Dietary compliance, assessed by weekly 3-day dietary records and measurement of biochemical markers, was good. Energy and fat intake appeared to be reduced on the diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids although body weights did not change. Insulin sensitivity and plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations improved with the diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with the diet rich in saturated fatty acids. There was also a decrease in abdominal subcutaneous fat area.Conclusion/interpretation If this result is confirmed in longer-term studies, this dietary manipulation would be more readily achieved by the general population than the current recommendations and could result in considerable improvement in insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of developing Type II diabetes.
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Other studies investigating the effects of SFAs on liver fat used mostly butter to increase the diet's SFA content.
“Other studies investigating the effects of SFAs on liver fat used mostly butter to increase the diet's SFA content (10, 11, 13).”
From Eucaloric diets enriched in palm olein, cocoa butter, and soybean oil did not differentially affect liver fat concentration in healthy participants: a 16-week randomized controlled trial. (2021) · cites this paper as [13]
The Subjects section describes an SFA-versus-PUFA dietary study in which participants usually substituted dairy products for PUFA-based spreads and cooking oils. It does not say that butter was the main source of SFA. The same section says the MRI assessment measured abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat, not liver fat. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOther studies used much higher total fat proportions ranging from ∼40%E to ∼60%E, often with disproportionate contents between diets with the SFA diets often higher in fat than the PUFA diets.
“Other studies, however, used much higher total fat proportions ranging from ∼ 40%E to ∼ 60%E (7, 10, 11, 13), often with disproportionate contents between diets with the SFA diets often higher in fat than the PUFA diets (7, 10, 13).”
From Eucaloric diets enriched in palm olein, cocoa butter, and soybean oil did not differentially affect liver fat concentration in healthy participants: a 16-week randomized controlled trial. (2021) · cites this paper as [13]
Table 2 (page unavailable) reports significantly higher fat intake on the SFA diet than on the PUFA diet: 117 versus 80 g/day. Using its reported energy intakes, fat supplied approximately 41% of energy on the SFA diet but 33% on the PUFA diet. Thus this study supports the unequal-fat comparison, but not a reading that both diets supplied approximately 40–60% of energy from fat; it also does not establish the upper end of that range. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPrevious findings were observed in the presence of hypercaloric diets and weight gain or were conducted in obese participants at greater risk of developing metabolic abnormalities.
“Previous findings were observed in the presence of hypercaloric diets and weight gain (11, 12) or were conducted in obese participants at greater risk of developing metabolic abnormalities (10, 11, 13).”
From Eucaloric diets enriched in palm olein, cocoa butter, and soybean oil did not differentially affect liver fat concentration in healthy participants: a 16-week randomized controlled trial. (2021) · cites this paper as [13]
The Subjects section (page unavailable) reports five obese participants, but also six non-obese participants and six with Type II diabetes; the study was not conducted exclusively in obese participants. The Results and Discussion (pages unavailable) state that body weight did not change, contrary to the claim’s weight-gain component. The paper therefore supports the obese-participant component only in part, not the characterization of its findings as occurring with weight gain. (LLM, conf=0.89)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredDiets high in unsaturated fatty acids result in lower abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (aSCAT) than SFA-rich diets.
“The limited amount of evidence from human studies suggests that diets high in unsaturated fatty acids result in lower liver fat concentrations (10-12) as well as abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (aSCAT) (13) and VAT (12) than SFA-rich diets.”
The effect of unsaturated fatty acids on liver fat and adipose tissue was particularly evident when dietary fats were consumed in excess relative to daily energy requirements and/or when studies were performed in obese participants.
“This was particularly evident when the dietary fats were consumed in excess relative to daily energy requirements (11, 12) and/or when studies were performed in obese participants (10, 13).”
Diets high in n-6 PUFAs lowered aSCAT, VAT, and the VAT:aSCAT ratio compared with SFA-rich diets in other studies.
“Other studies showed diets high in n-6 PUFAs lowered aSCAT (13), VAT (12), and the VAT:aSCAT ratio (10) compared with SFA-rich diets”
Diets high in saturated fat have been linked with the onset of both obesity and type 2 diabetes.
“In particular, diets high in saturated fat have been linked with the onset of both obesity and T2D [12,13].”
From Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Skeletal Muscle Health (2015) · cites this paper as [13]
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- Authors
- Summers, L. K. M., Fielding, B. A., Bradshaw, H. A., Ilic, V., Beysen, C., Clark, M. L., Moore, N. R., & Frayn, K. N.
- Affiliations
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (GB)
- John Radcliffe Hospital (GB)
- Venue
- Diabetologia
- Published
- 2002-03
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 369-377
- ISSN
- 0012-186X (ISSN-L)
- 1432-0428
- OpenAlex
- W2068218521
- Cited by
- 414
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 12.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Diabetologia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Open Research (University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
- Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
- Keywords
- saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fat replacement, abdominal fat distribution, insulin sensitivity, type 2 diabetes, obesity, LDL cholesterol, subcutaneous adipose tissue, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, dietary adherence
- MeSH terms
- Abdomen, Adipose Tissue, Blood Glucose, Body Constitution, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Dietary Fats, Dietary Fats, Unsaturated, Energy Metabolism, Female, Glycated Hemoglobin, Humans, Insulin, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Reference Values, Risk Factors, Body Mass Index, Cross-Over Studies
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