If you do not want to have a bulging tummy, then you might as well go for a diet that is rich in unsaturated fats.
In a new study published in the journal Diabetes Feb. 18, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden asked 39 young men and women with normal weight to consume additional 750 calories per day for seven weeks with the objective of gaining three percent of their original weight.
The researchers also randomly divided the participants into two groups. Those in the first group consumed muffins with polyunsaturated fat, and those in the second group had muffins with saturated fat. The muffins given to both groups contained the same amount of sugar, carbohydrates, fat, and protein albeit the types of fat used were different.
Although there were comparable weight gains between the two groups, the researchers found that those who consumed muffins that used saturated fat had gained more fat in the liver and abdomen than those who consumed muffins that used polyunsaturated fat.
The researchers also found that those in the saturated fat group gained more body fat than those in the polyunsaturated fat group. Those in the polyunsaturated fat group, on the other hand, increased their muscle mass three times more than those in the saturated fat group indicating that gaining weight by consuming polyunsaturated fat can result in more muscle mass gain and less body fat than consuming a similar amount of saturated fat.
The researchers said that the study's finding shows that the fat composition of a diet might have a role that could prevent obesity-related disorders.
"Liver fat and visceral fat seems to contribute to a number of disturbances in metabolism," said study author Ulf Risérus, an associate professor at the Department of Public Health and Caring Science in Uppsala University, Sweden. "These findings can therefore be important for individuals with metabolic diseases such as diabetes. If the results regarding increased muscle mass following consumption of polyunsaturated fat can be confirmed in our coming studies, it will potentially be interesting for many elderly people, for whom maintaining muscle mass is of great importance in preventing morbidity."
The study also gave an insight on what should be avoided in one's diet particularly if unhealthy fat build-up is to be avoided. Diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids rather than in saturated fat, such as the Flat Belly Diet, can also be adopted by those who want to shun extra fats.
"This is of great interest, as we lack preventive treatments for fatty liver and visceral fat today," Risérus said. "The new findings also support international dietary recommendations including the new Nordic nutritional recommendations, which, among other things, recommend replacing some saturated fat from meat, butter, and palm oil, for example, with unsaturated fats from plant oils and fatty fish."
