Mafuta a kokonati amalimbikitsidwa ngati chakudya chathanzi. Tikudziwa kuti ili ndi mafuta ofunikira a polyunsaturated omwe sanapangidwe ndi thupi la munthu. Ndiko kuti, angapezeke kunja kokha. Mafuta a kokonati osayengedwa ndi magwero a mafuta opindulitsawa, kuphatikizapo lauric, oleic, stearic, caprylic, ndi ena ambiri. Akatenthedwa, samatulutsa ma carcinogens, kusunga mavitamini onse othandiza ndi amino acid, omwe amalola kuti agwiritsidwe ntchito kwambiri pophika.
Komabe, asayansi aku America amalangiza kusiya kugwiritsa ntchito mafuta a kokonati ngati analogue kumafuta ena amasamba ndi mafuta anyama. Zikuoneka kuti ili ndi mafuta ochulukirapo kasanu ndi kamodzi kuposa mafuta a azitona. Komano, mafuta okhuta amaonedwa kuti ndi opanda thanzi chifukwa amatha kukweza mlingo wa kolesterolini woipa, kuonjezera ngozi ya matenda a mtima.
Malinga ndi nkhani yofalitsidwa, mafuta a kokonati ali ndi 82% mafuta odzaza, pamene mafuta anyama ali ndi 39%, mafuta a ng'ombe ali ndi 50%, ndipo batala ali ndi 63%.
Kafukufuku wopangidwa m'ma 1950 adawonetsa kulumikizana pakati pa mafuta odzaza ndi mafuta a LDL cholesterol (chotchedwa "choyipa" cholesterol). Zingayambitse magazi kuundana ndikuyambitsa matenda a mtima ndi sitiroko.
Komano, HDL-cholesterol imateteza ku matenda a mtima. Imayamwa mafuta a kolesterolini n’kuwabwezanso kuchiŵindi, ndipo amawatulutsa m’thupi. Kukhala ndi cholesterol "yabwino" kumakhala ndi zotsatira zosiyana.
AHA imalimbikitsa m'malo mwa zakudya zomwe zili ndi mafuta ambiri odzaza, kuphatikizapo nyama yofiira, zakudya zokazinga, komanso, kalanga, mafuta a kokonati, ndi magwero a mafuta osakanizidwa monga mtedza, nyemba, mapeyala, mafuta osakhala otentha (azitona, flaxseed, ndi ena) .
Malingana ndi Public Health England, mwamuna wazaka zapakati sayenera kudya magalamu 30 a mafuta odzaza patsiku, ndipo mkazi sayenera kupitirira 20 magalamu. AHA imalimbikitsa kuchepetsa mafuta odzaza mpaka 5-6% ya zopatsa mphamvu zonse, zomwe ndi pafupifupi 13 magalamu pazakudya za 2000 zopatsa mphamvu tsiku lililonse.