Your Complete Guide to Being Well and Staying Healthy
Healthy Living
Stress Management
If you feel overwhelmed by stress, you’re not alone. But you can start to view stress as a fact of life and respond to it in positive ways. Learn the skills to keep stress in check and have a more balanced, healthy life.
Health Centers
Obesity and Bariatric Surgery
If you’re more than 100 pounds overweight, bariatric surgery may be the solution for you. Use this center to learn about the different types of procedures and the risks and benefits of each.
Your Family
Women's Health
Enjoy good health at every age: know your body and how it works, eat well and stay active, and follow a plan for disease prevention.
Today's Interactive Tools and Multimedia
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Health Tip of the Day
A Guide to Fats
Fats are a group of chemical compounds that contain fatty acids. Energy is stored in your body mostly in the form of fat. There are three main types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Reducing all types of fat in your diet is best.
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Saturated fats are found mostly in foods of animal origin: meat, poultry skin, butter, cheese and partially hydrogenated oils. Saturated fats increase the LDL (bad) cholesterol level in your blood.
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Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean and sunflower oils. They can reduce LDL cholesterol levels but in excess they may also reduce HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
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Monounsaturated fats are the primary fats in olive, peanut, sesame and canola oils. They raise HDL cholesterol as they lower LDL cholesterol, but they should be consumed in moderation.
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Trans-fats are found in hydrogenated vegetable oils such as margarines and shortenings, and in many commercially made desserts. Trans-fats raise LDL and lower HDL cholesterol.