Researchers draw the line between good and bad fats
BY HILARY EDMONDSON SPARK PROGRAM
Eating certain types of fat could help reduce your risk of disease, says Prof. Lindsay Robinson, Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences. But it has to be the right type. Robinson and her research team are developing fat tolerance tests to assess how individuals react to different fat types. They’re studying how these fat types affect the body’s metabolic activities. “Fats can’t be placed in just one category, because they don’t all elicit the same response,” she says. “Polyunsaturated fats, or ‘good’ fats, have been shown to reduce cholesterol and risks for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease when you eat them as a substitute for ‘bad’ fats, like saturated fat.” Although traditional fat tolerance tests often lump all fat types into one category, Robinson wants to compare good and bad fats because they each create different metabolic responses. She’s working with food scientists to design a shake-like drink containing selected natural fats, which can be used to test how humans metabolize different fats. After study participants ingest the drink, researchers can test fat levels in each subject’s blood and the metabolic response that’s associated with the fat in the drink. Robinson says it’s important to test different fat types separately to learn which are the most beneficial. Simply switching from bad fats such as butter, shortening and meat fat to good fats such as corn, canola and olive oils can actually help reduce cholesterol and lower blood lipids, which can lead to improved health. She’s also interested in cytokines, hormone-like proteins that are involved in inflammatory responses. Cytokines, which are released from fat tissue in the body, are believed to contribute to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which means that people with excess fat tissue could be at higher risk for those diseases. The researchers are now testing to determine whether abnormally high cytokine levels result from fat ingestion and if the type of fat can alter this response. Abnormal metabolic responses to fat ingestion can occur many years before the actual onset of disease, making this information useful as an early biomarker of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One of their criteria for whether a fat is good or bad is how it affects cytokine levels, among other metabolic responses. If a certain fat type leads to increased cytokine release, it might be one people should avoid, Robinson says. Eventually, the research group hopes to develop an oral fat tolerance test to rapidly assess Canadians’ risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Earlier risk detection means people will have more time to change their diet and lifestyle, helping to prevent these diseases. Still, Robinson says prevention and awareness of good and bad fat consumption are key to a healthier public and lower disease risks. She and her team hope to learn more about the benefits of good fats and help the food industry incorporate these fats into everyday food products. Collaborating on this research are Prof. Terry Graham, chair of the Department of Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences; and Prof. Alejandro Marangoni and research associate Amanda Wright of the Department of Food Science. Also involved in the study is University of Waterloo kinesiology professor Jim Rush. This research is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food as part of the Food@Guelph initiative.
