"A study shows that not all good fats are the same when it comes to protecting your health. For decades the message about fats has been relatively simple  reduce the amount of oils and fats you eat from animal and dairy products less red meat and cheese and substitute them with healthier fats from plants or fish olive oil httptopics.time.comoil omega fatty acids. The difference came down to the specific type of fats that make up these foods  animal and dairy fats tend to be saturated which means all of the free bonds available in a chain of carbon atoms are bound to hydrogen atoms while plant fats are unsaturated meaning some of carbon atoms have double bonds with each other. Saturated fats are more likely to build up within artery walls and form plaques that can trigger heart attacks httptopics.time.comheartattacks. But in the latest study on fats published in the BMJ researchers found convincing evidence that not all plant fats are created equal and that linoleic acid or omega fatty acids may be associated with a higher risk of early death from any cause as well as increased risk of heart disease httptopics.time.comheartdisease and death from heartrelated conditions. The study is actually a reanalysis of data that had not been included in the original publication of results from the Sydney Diet Heart Study a trial that was conducted from  to . For more than three years researchers at the time followed  men aged  to  years old who had a history of heart disease about half were told to replace the saturated fats they consumed from animal and dairy sources with omega linoleic acid which is commonly found in safflower oil or margarines made from it. The other half were not told to change their diet in any way. When that study was published in  researchers noted an increased risk of early death from any cause among the omega group but did not break down the data by what caused the deaths. MORE Study Good Fats Even Better for the Heart Than We Thought httphealthland.time.comstudygoodfatsevenbetterfortheheartthanwethought So Dr. Christopher Ramsden a clinical investigator at the National Institutes of Health who was interested in understanding the effects of linoleic acid on heart health contacted one of the original authors and reviewed data that had not been included in the study. This information involved deaths from heartrelated causes and the new analysis showed that the omega group had a  higher risk of dying during the study period from heart disease compared with  among the control group. The American Heart Association AHA currently recommends that people replace  to  of their daily saturatedfat intake with foods containing unsaturated fats such as canola and olive oils. The AHA further breaks down the unsaturatedfat advice by suggesting that people devote about  to  of their daily calories to foods containing linoleic acid. The recommendation is based on a review of the available data. MORE Study Eating Omegas May Help Reduce Alzheimers Risk httphealthland.time.comeatingomegasmayhelpreducealzheimersrisk The latest results however raise questions about that advice. Ramsden says the findings provide some refined understanding of unsaturated fats which come in different chemical forms that may have varying benefits or risks. I wouldnt necessarily say that the current advice is necessarily completely wrong he says. What happened is that in the s all polyunsaturated fats were considered the same. They were grouped together under one mechanism of being able to lower bloodcholesterol levels. Then over the ensuing decades it became clear as science progressed that there were multiple types of polyunsaturated fats and these compounds potentially have distinct biochemical and health effects. There has been some evidence to suggest that omega fatty acids for example may trigger inflammation a condition that is linked to an increased risk of heart problems while omega fatty acids found in deepwater fish like salmon tend to inhibit inflammatory reactions. Ramsden says the results highlight the need to study dietary ingredients in more detail rather than lumping them together and assuming they have the same effect on the body. MORE Can Olive Oil Help Prevent Stroke httphealthland.time.comcanoliveoilhelppreventstroke Recognizing that need the AHA says it is considering reevaluating all its dietary recommendations and will make the issue of polyunsaturated fats part of this assessment. Reviewing the dietary advice as a whole is important says Alice Lichtenstein a spokesperson for the association since changes in one area could have unexpected and potentially harmful effects on other eating habits. When health organizations advised people to lower their intake of saturated fats for example many replaced the fats with carbohydrates which can increase risk of diabetes and lead to higher levels of another type of fat in the blood triglycerides. One of the things we learned is that we need to look at the whole picture says Lichtenstein. Just looking at one individual component puts undue emphasis on that component and may lead to unanticipated consequences. We need to look at dietary patterns rather than individual nutrients or individual food components. Whether the association will change its advice about consuming linoleic acid isnt clear yet but Ramsden says the results of the latest study could have important implications for the way people eat if they want to stay hearthealthy."