Fat Facts
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

For some time now, the word Fat has almost been seen as a dirty word.

Thankfully the tables are starting to turn as more and more research reveals the TRUTH about fats.

One of the first fat facts that you should understand is that Fat is VITAL to our survival.

It serves many purposes within our body including: -
• Cell Membrane Structure and Function
• Enables absorption of fat soluble vitamins
• Provides insulation and protection
• Assists in the formation of hormones.
• Insulates our nervous system to ensure efficient transmission of nerve impulses.
• Maintains healthy skin and hair.

In addition, research in recent years has uncovered extremely beneficial fat facts including the ability of certain fats to help promote healthy blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, help protect joints and potentially lessen depression. Before moving on with any further fat facts, it’s important to have some understanding about our body’s cholesterol.

So Tell Me About Cholesterol!

Cholesterol is transported around the body through being attached to lipoproteins, of which there are two main types.

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)

In pursuing optimal health and total fitness, balance is required, and this CERTAINLY applies to LDL and HDL.

The healthy ratio is considered to be around the 2:1 mark of LDL:HDL.

If there is too much LDL present within out bodies, there is increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to the LDL’s tendency to collect within the blood vessels of the body and heart forming plaque and over time, narrowing these vessels.

As the vessels fur up with this plaque, the hearts oxygen supply may decrease, while having to work harder to pump blood through the narrower arteries. If the furring up becomes too extreme, there is significant potential for blockage which may result in a heart attack!!

On the flip side this is HDL.

HDL serves as the good guy!

HDL in the blood acts as an LDL scavenger, collecting up any stray LDL molecules and transporting them back to the liver for re-packaging and thus lessening the likelihood of it collecting within our arteries.

So it stands to reason that having more HDL is very good when it comes to trying to prevent cardiovascular disease!

Read on!

Further Fat Facts

Saturated Fats - A small amount of saturated fat is needed in the diet, however, too much can lead to the liver producing more cholesterol (Low Density Lipoproteins) which potentially leads to increased risk of heart disease (due to the reasons explained above).

Saturated fat is commonly found as being solid at room temperature and sources include animal fats and dairy produce.

Next we come to unsaturated fats which include mono and poly unsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature, and come from sources such as olive and nut oils.

They have been found to have a positive effect in increasing good cholesterol levels (HDL) which in turn helps reduce the likelihood of suffering from cardiovascular disease.

Polyunsaturated fats are also mainly found as liquid at room temperature and sources include safflower and sunflower oil.

These types of fats have been found to be beneficial in lowering the amount of LDL in our blood, thus promoting a healthier HDL to LDL Ratio.

In addition, within this category fall a group of fats labelled as ESSENTIAL FATS. These include Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. These fats are classed as essential due to the fact that the body cannot produce its own and so must be consumed as part of our diet.

Typically Omega 3 and 6 fats are derived from oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna, in addition to flax seeds/oil.

Omega 3 are particularly beneficial as they have been linked to lowering LDL levels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoarthritis while some studies have reported it useful in reducing depression.

You can read more about the benefits of omega 3 oils - HERE!

In completing this discussion on fats, there is one final type that must be brought to awareness, that being the fat facts surrounding TRANS FATS.

Trans Fats You Say?
What The??!!

Tran’s fats are formed by the process of hydrogenation of unsaturated fats.

When liquid unsaturated fats under go this undergo this process, their structure changes, effectively making them into a form of saturated fat, solid at room temperature, with an extended shelf life.

These hydrogenated fats lend themselves to high temperatures associated with cooking, while retaining a more mild taste.

A classic example is in the conversion of vegetable oils to margarine.

Sources of Tran’s fats include fast food, biscuits, pastries, crisps, cakes, margarine and so forth.

They have been linked with having a detrimental effect on our cholesterol ratio - causing increases of LDL while reducing HDL - the exact thing you don’t want from a food!!!

Moving on with further fat facts - fat is an extremely energy dense food. All fat types contain 9 calories per gram and as such have more than twice the energy when compared to carbohydrates and proteins.

The current government recommendations relating to fat consumption suggest that fat should comprise 25 - 35% of our diet, with less then 10% coming from saturated fat sources.

If too little fat is consumed our hormone levels may remain low, we may feel fatigued, have poor digestion and our skin and hair may have poor condition.

It must be said that the prospect of eating too little fat is a very unlikely situation, given that almost everything we eat contains some amount of fat.

On the other side of the coin, having too much fat in the diet can lead to increased risk from cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol levels, obesity and certain cancers.

In Summary

This relates specifically to Omega 3 and Omega 6.

In addition, in attempting to achieve a balanced diet, aim to keep fat consumption around 25 - 35% of total calories consumed. For someone consuming 2500 calories per day, this would calculate at 69g to 97g of Fat, with less than 27g coming from saturated fat sources.

If you are uncertain about your diet, need advice on what to eat, or would like someone to analyse and offer ways of improving your diet, why not check out My Services or even Contact Me?

Read My Article about Coconut Oil Health Benefits Here

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