Monounsaturated fatty acids
Macronutrients
The oleic acid of olive, avocado and tree nuts.
The most heat-stable of the unsaturated fatty acids — that is why one cooks with olive oil and never with flaxseed oil.
Effects and benefits
The oleic acid of olives, avocados and almonds is at the heart of the Mediterranean diet. Replacing saturated fats with it contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels; and in the large PREDIMED trial, Mediterranean cooking with olive oil reduced cardiovascular events by about 30%.
Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, oleic acid being an unsaturated fat (Regulation 432/2012).
The PREDIMED trial assigned 7,447 Spaniards at high cardiovascular risk to a Mediterranean diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil, the same enriched with nuts, or a low-fat diet. After nearly five years, both Mediterranean diets reduced heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths combined by about 30% (Estruch et al., 2018).
Sources: EU Regulation 432/2012 · Estruch et al., NEJM, 2018
Where to find it (12)
- Almond
- Argan oil
- Avocado
- Cashew
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Hazelnut
- Macadamia nut
- Olive
- Pecan
- Pistachio
- Sesame seeds
- Virgin canola oil