Fats That Don’t Make You Fat

It’s a fairly common misconception among dieters that fat is the enemy. Fact is, there are different types of fat and your body needs some to perform numerous metabolic functions. Here’s something else to consider, a report published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests a well-planned diet that includes olive oil, nuts and other healthy fats isn't likely to cause weight gain.
 
A 5-year study of more than 7,400 overweight Spanish women and men aged 55 to 80 showed that a Mediterranean style diet including vegetable fats (olive oil or nuts) didn’t significantly alter body weight or waist circumference when compared to dieters on a low-fat program.
 
During the study period, low-fat dieters cut fat consumption from around 40% of all calories to 37%. Subjects on a Mediterranean diet increased fat intake from around 40% to 42%. Overall, the low-fat diet reduced weight by an average of 1.3 pound while subjects on a diet rich in olive oil lost almost 2 pounds and subjects in on a diet with nuts lost an average of 0.9 pounds.