Pouring olive oil in bowl

Fish oil vs lard: Why some fat can help or hinder your diet

According to the latest research in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, a diet high in saturated fat can make your brain struggle to control what you eat. This means that if people are looking to lose weight, they should stay clear of saturated fat (found in butter, lard, animal fats and fried food).

Saturated Fat

This may come as a shock to all the Banters out there since this research shows that consuming these types of fatty food affects a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which helps regulate hunger.

The fat causes inflammation that impedes the brain to control the food intake. In other words, people struggle to control how much they eat, when to stop and what type of food to eat — symptoms seen in obesity.

Unsaturated Fat

However, consuming unsaturated fats from food such as fish, avocado or olive oil makes a significant difference. The research shows that brain function remains normal and manages to restrain from eating more than necessary.

This research comes hot on the heels of research linking a high intake of saturated fat to heart disease and cancer. The information on the internet can be very contradictory and it’s best not to self-diagnose and more important to, if you are concerned about what you are consuming, find out what best suits your personal dietary needs. Book a consultation with me for more insight into what your body actually needs.

Contact Cape Town Nutritionist to find out which fats are good for the body.