Diet Affects Where You Pack on the Fat and the Pounds, Nutrition Experts Say

Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration announced that changes would be made to the current nutrition labels on food and beverage products. The timing is appropriate, now that people are becoming more conscious of their diets.

Not only must people become more aware of what they're eating, they need to know the exact ingredients they are consuming because different types of fat contribute to different types of weight gain as well as diseases. Dieticians and nutritionists have provided research to support these claims.

Experts cite saturated fat as the worst kind of fat to consume. It is known to increase fat around the waistline (also know as "belly" fat) as well as fat near the liver. These fats can also contribute to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease, two of the more prevalent health-related diseases in the United States.

These assertions were reinforced through a study conducted by Ulf Riserus, a clinical nutrition professor at Uppsala University in Sweden. In his study, Riserus and his research team gathered 39 men and women participants and slightly manipulated their consumption of saturated fats. On top of their daily diet, the participants were asked to eat a 750-calorie muffin every day. Half of the participants were consuming a muffin with saturated fat and the other half was given a muffin with polyunsaturated fat. After seven weeks of testing, each group gained a similar amount of weight, but those that consumed the muffin with saturated fat gained more of the weight near their stomach and visceral organs.

Polyunsaturated fat is derived from vegetable oils and are a healthy alternative to saturated fats as well as trans fats, of course, when consumed in moderation. Its consumption also lessens the likelihood of metabolic syndrome, which affects the body's normal functioning and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

The body processes fats and nutrients in different ways and it's important that you know what is beneficial and what is harmful. To learn more, visit this Live Science article.