Unsaturated fats (or the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) have been known either to lower or to have no effect on blood cholesterol.
But when polyunsaturated fats are hydrogenated, they become them firmer and more like saturated fats.
They can then affect the body’s blood cholesterol in the same way that saturated fats do.
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature; they include olive, canola, and peanut oils, along with some nuts, seeds, and avocados.
These fats are also considered helpful to human health (when eaten in moderation), as they are often associated with lowering the bad LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
Can excessive amounts of saturated fats increase the risk of diabetes?
Many foods can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, including saturated fats, such as those found in high amounts in desserts like cheesecake and ice cream.
The saturated fats definitely affect a person’s immune system.
The immune cells believe the saturated fats are foreign invaders and start pumping out inflammation-causing compounds, which are linked to diabetes.
In fact, in one study, mice that had healthy immune systems and were fed a high-fat diet eventually developed glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, both precursors to type 2 diabetes.
Can a high-fat meal raise blood glucose levels?
Yes, although they are not as “efficient” at raising blood glucose, fats can contribute to a rise in glucose levels.
In general, a high-fat meal can cause an increase in what are called free fatty acids (FFAs) in the bloodstream.
Higher levels of FFAs in a person’s blood usually indicate more ingestion of high-fat meals, especially including highly saturated fats.
Higher FFAs, along with obesity, are often found in people with liver insulin resistance. (For more about the liver and insulin, see the chapter “How Diabetes Affects the Digestive System.”)
Liver insulin resistance caused by higher consumption of FFAs means that a person will need more insulin in his or her system.
The insulin can come naturally from the pancreas for a person without diabetes or from insulin injections for a person with type 1 diabetes. (Some research also suggests that FFAs may reduce the amount of insulin that the pancreas’s beta cells produce, but more studies are needed.) In addition, fats can also affect the timing of a person’s blood glucose rise after a meal.
This is because fats take a long time to go through the digestive tract, unlike carbohydrates, which are digested quickly, sometimes four to six hours after a meal.
Thus, if a person with type 1 is taking insulin, FFAs may change the type of insulin (for example, fast- or slow-acting) and/or times the person injects himself after a high-fat meal.
What should a person with diabetes be aware of after eating a fatty meal?
Even though fatty meals have been associated with changes in insulin, there is no reason for staying away from fats.
In fact, an occasional fatty meal is usually fine, as long as it does not have more than 40 grams of fat (especially saturated fats found in meat, butter, etc.).
If a person with diabetes eats a fatty meal, he or she should pay more attention to blood glucose levels, especially after the meal.
In addition, if a person with type 1 diabetes knows he will be eating such a fatty meal, he may want to adjust the timing, amount, and/or type of insulin.
If someone has type 2 diabetes and is taking oral medications, research has shown that doing some type of moderate physical activity (such as walking) after eating a high-fat meal will often help lower blood glucose levels, and some say help with digestion, too.
What are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids?
There are two types of polyunsaturated fats, or polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, the two essential fatty acids called omega-3 and omega-6.
They are considered essential fats.
In other words, the body cannot make them, so they must be obtained from the diet.
Both are thought to play an important role in brain function, as well as in aiding normal growth and development of the brain and eyes in infants.
The omega-3 fats are also thought to help prevent blood clotting, which is often known to trigger strokes or heart attacks.
They are also thought to lower triglycerides, thus decreasing the risk of a heart attack (thus, they are often called “heart-healthy” fats).
In addition, omega-6s are thought to lower LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and to improve insulin sensitivity.
But they have a “bad” side, too, as they are thought to increase inflammation in the body.
Still another study points to a possible connection between the rise in inflammatory diseases, such as those associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, and the increase in omega-6 fatty-acid consumption.
This connection is suspected because omega-6 is called “pro-inflammatory,” whereas omega-3 is considered to be neutral.
Are fat calories the same as protein or carbohydrate calories?
N o.
Therefore, it is a myth that all calories from food are the same.
In fact, the body’s ancestral makeup is to blame, as it protects itself from starvation by using up carbohydrate stores before it dips into the fat reserves.
Overall, calories from fat are more fattening than those from proteins or carbohydrates, and the body has a tendency to store more excess calories from fat intake than from excess calories from proteins or carbohydrates.
The body not only stores more fat calories, but it also burns them less readily than those from proteins or carbohydrates.
And because the stomach takes cues that the person is full based on food volume, not calories, calorie-for-calorie fat is less satisfying.
Are various PUFAs associated with different risks for type 2 diabetes?
Yes, various types of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are associated with an increased and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.
In a study conducted in 2016, researchers measured circulating PUFAs in the blood samples of individuals from eight European countries (this was part of EPIC-Interact, the world’s largest study of onset type 2 diabetes; for more about EPIC-Interact, see the chapter “Resources, Websites, and Apps”).
They compared different PUFAs, both omega-3 and omega-6, and adjusted for various factors that contribute to the risk of type 2 diabetes (such as smoking, body mass index, age, and sex).
The researchers found that higher amounts of omega-6 linoleic acid (from a variety of foods, such as vegetable oils) were associated with a lower risk of future type 2 diabetes.
But higher levels of four other omega-6 fatty acids were associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Overall, the omega-3 fatty acids, most often associated with fish or seafood, were not associated with future type 2 diabetes, and a plant-origin omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The researchers know that more studies need to be done, as their work was limited by their inability to distinguish dietary and metabolic influence on PUFAs circulating in the blood. But what this study does show is that the emphasis in the research on PUFAs and diabetes should not be just on the entire class of polyunsaturated fats but on the individual types of PUFAs.
What are trans-fatty acids?
Trans-fatty acids, or trans fats, are made when manufacturers add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil, in a process called hydrogenation, creating solid fats like shortening and hard margarine.
Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.
Diets high in trans fats raise the LDL (low density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol, increasing the risk for coronary heart disease.
Cakes, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils are the largest source (40 percent) of trans fats in the American diet.
Animal products and margarine are also major sources of trans fats.
Since January 2006, the U.S. government has directed that the amount of trans fat in a product must be included in the “Nutrition Facts” panel on food labels.
Healthy omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), nuts, and avocados.
Can excessive amounts of trans fats (trans-fatty acids) increase the risk of type 2 diabetes?
Yes, most health care professionals agree that excessive amounts of trans fats increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in many people. For example, foods such as french fries contain trans fat, and like saturated fat, trans fats seem to boost the inflammation response in the body. In several studies, the more trans fats people consumed, the more likely they were to develop diabetes.
How do refined grains increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
It is thought that a diet heavy in refined grains, such as white bread, boosts a person’s insulin resistance and causes problems with blood glucose levels.
In one study, older adults who ate the most refined grains had the highest fasting blood glucose levels.
This is because refined grains are actually carbohydrates that are easily digested and absorbed into the bloodstream.
Overall, this means more of a rise, and quicker, too, of insulin in the body after eating, which can cause the insulin-making cells in the pancreas to “burn out” faster.
It is also why so many health care professionals advise patients to eat foods that contain 100 percent whole grains, including products with whole wheat, whole rye, oatmeal, barley, wheat berries, or brown rice as the first ingredient.
MANAGING EATING HABITS
Is there one diet for a person with diabetes?
No! Everyone on the planet has different conditions and various needs when it comes to eating, and people with diabetes should also be treated individually when it comes to what to eat. Even though working out the best eating plan for a person with diabetes seems complicated at first, with education and experimentation, a person’s way of eating can be a good diabetes-management tool. This is because what a person eats definitely affects his or her blood glucose levels.
Why is it often thought that eating five small meals versus three big meals a day is better for most people?
For a person with diabetes, eating several small meals during the day, along with keeping tabs on blood glucose levels and eating wisely, will help keep blood glucose levels more balanced. According to many dietitians and nutritionists, one of the major problems with eating three big meals a day is that the foods eaten can put stress on the pancreas’s insulin-producing mechanism.
In particular, as sugars from the foods enter the bloodstream, the pancreas secretes a dose of insulin at levels high enough to help get sugar into the muscles’ and other organs’ cells, where it is used for energy.
If a large amount of sugar enters the bloodstream, for example, after a bigger meal, then the pancreas releases a great deal of insulin.
For some people, this release often creates a problem in the cells, causing them to resist the insulin from the pancreas (called insulin resistance).
If this occurs, then the glucose levels don’t drop, and the body secretes even more insulin.
This can cause the pancreas to literally wear out, which, in turn, can eventually lead to diabetes.
In addition, the excess insulin promotes more fat storage, causing an overweight problem that can also contribute to diabetes.