Main dietary fats and their sources | Knowledge for policy

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Main dietary fats and their sources

(EFSA 2010, FDA website) Dietary Fats

Saturated fatty acids
Type of fatty acid	Dietary sources (in order of fat content)
All Saturated Fatty Acids	Coconut oil, butter (from milk fat), milk fat, cocoa butter, palm oil; smaller amounts in soybean, corn, olive, sunflower and rapeseed oil
Saturated Fatty Acids with <12 carbons	Coconut & palm kernel oil, butter
Lauric acid	Coconut & palm kernel oil, small amounts in milk fat
Myristic acid	Coconut & palm kernel oil, milk fat, smaller amounts in butter
Palmitic acid	Palm oil, milk fat, cocoa butter, butter, smaller amounts in olive, soybean, corn, coconut & palm kernel oil
Stearic acid	Cocoa butter, milk fat, butter, small amounts in various plant oils.

Monounsaturated fatty acids
Type of fatty acid	Dietary sources (in order of fat content)
Oleic acid	Olive, rapeseed & palm oil, cocoa butter, avocado, milk fat, butter, sunflower, soybean and palm kernel oil.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Type of fatty acid	Dietary sources (in order of fat content)
Linoleic, arachidonic acid	Sunflower, corn, soybean, rapeseed oil; smaller amounts in olive and palm oil
α-Linolenic, EPA, DPA, DHA	Fatty fish and other fish from aquaculture^a, linseed, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, walnuts

Conjugated linoleic acid
Type	Dietary sources (in order of fat content)
Isomers of linoleic acid	Small amounts in ruminant fats and human milk

Trans fatty acids
Type	Dietary sources (in order of fat content)
iTFA	Amounts are varying from 1% to up to 50% of total fat in margarine and fat spread, as well as a variety of bakery products or fried foods³; today the majority of processed foods in the EU contain no or only small amounts of iTFA. However, there may be still foods (e.g. some biscuits) on the EU market with high amounts (up to 40-50% of total fat) (JRC 2014 (pdf))
rTFA	Small percentages (3-6% of total fatty acid content) in lamb, mutton, beef and dairy fat

Cholesterol
Type	Dietary sources (in order of fat content)
	Animal derived foods: milk/dairy fats, Butter (from milk fat), eggs, offal, pork, beef, lamb, chicken, fish, shellfish. Foods rich in cholesterol are often also rich in SFA

^a when fed with omega-3 fats

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