Or they can be just plain ugly, like the trans fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, deep-fried foods, doughnuts, and commercial snack products such as crackers, cookies and pastries.

In truth, most fats are a mixture of all three - what makes them ‘good’ or ‘bad’ may largely be a matter of quantity or quality. The highly successful marketing of polyunsaturated fats and low-fat diets have made it acceptable for all of us to include far more processed oils and spreads in our diets than have earlier generations - to our detriment. With the exception of man-made trans fats, there may be no such thing as ‘bad’ fat - there may be only ‘too much’ fat.

The surest path through this thicket of contradictory information is to let common sense and your body’s innate wisdom prevail. Avoid megadosing on supplements and eat the widest variety of organic, unprocessed food, particularly the kind that has stood the test of the ages.