All dietary fats provide about 9 kcal per gram, so total fat drives calories regardless of type. What differs is how each type affects blood cholesterol and inflammation. This is why comparing total fat alone misses the point — the split into saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated matters more for health.
The three main types
Saturated fat (butter, fatty beef, coconut oil) raises LDL cholesterol for most people and is recommended as a smaller share of intake. Monounsaturated fat (olive oil, canola, most nuts) is the backbone of Mediterranean-style eating. Polyunsaturated fat includes omega-6 (most seed oils) and omega-3 (fish, walnuts, flax), which most diets need more of.
Trans fat
Industrial trans fat formed by partial hydrogenation raises LDL and lowers protective HDL simultaneously — the most damaging pattern of any dietary fat. Intake has been restricted or banned in many countries, and entries in this database show near-zero values, though naturally occurring traces appear in some ruminant fats.
Cholesterol in food
Dietary cholesterol has a smaller effect on blood cholesterol than once assumed for most people, though responses vary. Eggs and shellfish are relatively rich in it; current guidance de-emphasizes the food-cholesterol limit for the general population while keeping saturated and trans fat in focus.
How to use the fat columns
On any food page, read total fat first, then jump to the type breakdown. Two foods with 20 g of fat can sit on opposite ends of the quality spectrum depending on which type dominates — that comparison is exactly what our fat-comparison pages are built for.