Dietary fat has gotten a bad rap lately. But if researchers are correct, the amount of dietary fat is not the issue. Rather, it's the kind of dietary fat that you consume that might create a greater risk for cardiovascular disease.

A recent Penn State University study compared a low-fat diet and a higher monounsaturated fat diet. The diet high in monounsaturated fats from either olive oil, peanut oil, or peanuts and peanut butter had the same favorable effects as a low-fat diet. Both the low-fat and high-monounsaturated fat diets slowed the oxidization process of low density lipoproteins (LDL), which is thought to cause hardening of the arteries