Plant fat has always been thought of as the good fat, especially when compared to animal fat, but an article on TIME reports that there are some plant fats that may be more harmful than you think. Linoleic acid or omega-6 fatty acids, in particular, are said to be associated with an increased risk of early death from cardiovascular disease.

According to the Sydney Diet Heart Study conducted from 1966 to 1973, men from ages 30 to 59 years old with heart disease histories who shifted to diets heavy in omega-6 had more cases of early deaths compared to those whose diets had little or without omega-6.

Dr. Christopher Ramsen from the US National Institutes of Health reviewed unused data from the old study which gave deeper insight regarding heart disease-related deaths, and found that those who had omega-6 diets had a 17 percent risk of an early death from cardiovascular conditions, while the control group only had an 11 percent risk.

Too much or too little of both may cause different medical issues, from blood thinning to cognitive deficiencies. To be on the safe side, simply be conscious of what you eat, and just consume enough of what you need.

(Photo by Duygu Agar via sxc.hu)