What Is Fat? A Brief Desctription Of Advantages and Disadvantages Of FAT.

 

A. natural. oily. substance. occurring. in. animal. bodies,. especially. when. deposited. as. a. layer. under. the. skin. or. around. certain. organs.

In. Chemistry. Term:. any. of. a. group. of. natural. esters. of. glycerol. and. various. fatty. acids,. which. are. solid. at. room. temperature. and. are. the. main. constituents. of. animal. and. vegetable. fat.

Fat. is. a. nutrient.. It. is. crucial. for. normal. body. function. and. without. it. we. could. not. live.. Not. only. does. fat. supply. us. with. energy,. it. also. makes. it. possible. for. other. nutrients. to. do. their. jobs.

Fats,. which. consist. of. a. wide. group. of. compounds,. are. usually. soluble. in. organic. solvents. and. insoluble. in. water.. Chemically,. fats. are. usually. known. as. triesters. of. glycerol. and. fatty. acids. (triester. =. one. of. three. ester. chemical. groups).

At. room. temperature. fats. may. be. present. in. either. liquid. or. solid. form,. this. depends. on. their. structure. and. composition.

It’s. time. to. end. the. low-fat. myth.. For. decades,. a. low-fat. diet. was. touted. as. a. way. to. lose. weight. and. prevent. or. control. heart. disease. and. other. chronic. conditions,. and. food. companies. re-engineered. products. to. be. reduced-fat. or. fat-free,. often. compensating. for. differences. in. flavor. and. texture. by. increasing. amounts. of. salt,. sugar,. or. refined. grains.. However,. as. a. nation,. following. a. low-fat. diet. hasn’t. helped. us. control. weight. or. become. healthier.

. . . . In. the. 1960s,. fats. and. oils. supplied. Americans. with. about. 45. percent. of. calories;. about. 13. percent. of. adults. were. obese. and. under. 1. percent. had. type. 2. diabetes,. a. serious. weight-related. condition.. . . . . Today,. Americans. take. in. less. fat,. getting. about. 33. percent. of. calories. from. fats. and. oils;. yet. 34. percent. of. adults. are. obese. and. 11. percent. have. diabetes,. most. with. type. 2. diabetes..

Why. hasn’t. cutting. fat. from. the. diet. paid. off. as. expected?. Detailed. research. shows. that. the. total. amount. of. fat. in. the. diet. isn’t. really. linked. with. weight. or. disease.. What. really. matters. is. the. type. of. fat. and. the. total. calories. in. the. diet.

. . . . Bad. fats,. meaning. Trans. and. saturated. fats,. increase. the. risk. for. certain. diseases.

. . . . Good. fats,. meaning. monounsaturated. and. polyunsaturated. fats. do. just. the. opposite.. They. are. good. for. the. heart. and. most. other. parts. of. the. body.

One. problem. with. a. generic. lower. fat. diet. is. that. it. prompts. most. people. to. stop. eating. fats. that. are. good. for. the. heart. along. with. those. that. are. bad. for. it.. Another. problem. is. that. when. people. cut. back. on. fat,. they. often. switch. to. foods. full. of. easily. digested. carbohydrates—white. bread,. white. rice,. potatoes,. sugary. drinks,. and. the. like—or. to. fat-free. products. that. replace. healthful. fats. with. sugar. and. refined. carbohydrates.. The. body. digests. these. carbohydrates. very. quickly,. causing. blood. sugar. and. insulin. levels. to. spike.. Over. time,. eating. lots. of. “fast. carbs”. can. raise. the. risk. of. heart. disease. and. diabetes. as. much. as—or. more. than—eating. too. much. saturated. fat.. That’s. why. it’s. important. to. replace. foods. high. in. bad. fats. with. foods. high. in. good. fats—not. with. refined. carbohydrates.

What. about. cholesterol. in. food?. For. most. people,. the. mix. of. fats. in. the. diet. influences. cholesterol. in. the. bloodstream. far. more. than. cholesterol. in. food. does.

How. Fat. Moves. from. Food. to. the. Bloodstream

Almost. all. foods. contain. some. fat.. Even. quintessential. fat-free. foods. like. carrots. and. lettuce. contain. small. amounts. of. this. nutrient.. That’s. a. testament. to. how. important. fats. are. for. life.. Fat. provides. a. terrific. source. of. energy. as. well. as. a. great. depot. for. storing. it.. It. is. an. important. part. of. cell. membranes,. helping. govern. what. gets. into. cells. and. what. comes. out.. The. body. uses. cholesterol. as. the. starting. point. to. make. estrogen,. testosterone,. vitamin. D,. and. other. vital. compounds.. Fats. are. also. biologically. active. molecules. that. can. influence. how. muscles. respond. to. insulin’s. “open. up. for. sugar”. signal;. different. types. of. fats. can. also. fire. up. or. cool. down. inflammation.

Fat. and. cholesterol. can’t. dissolve. in. water. or. blood.. The. body. gets. around. this. basic. chemistry. problem. by. packaging. fat. and. cholesterol. into. tiny,. protein-covered. particles. called. lipoproteins.. Although. lipoproteins. can. carry. quite. a. bit. of. fat,. they. mix. easily. with. blood. and. flow. with. it.. Some. of. these. particles. are. big. and. fluffy,. others. small. and. dense.. The. most. important. ones. are. low-density. lipoproteins,. high-density. lipoproteins,. and. triglycerides.

Low-density. lipoproteins. (LDL). carry. cholesterol. from. the. liver. to. the. rest. of. the. body.. Cells. latch. onto. these. particles. and. extract. fat. and. cholesterol. from. them.. When. there. is. too. much. LDL. cholesterol. in. the. blood,. these. particles. can. form. deposits. in. the. walls. of. the. coronary. arteries. and. other. arteries. throughout. the. body.. Such. deposits,. called. plaque,. can. narrow. arteries. and. limit. blood. flow.. When. plaque. breaks. apart,. it. can. cause. a. heart. attack. or. stroke.. Because. of. this,. LDL. cholesterol. is. often. referred. to. as. bad,. or. harmful,. cholesterol.

High-density. lipoproteins. (HDL). scavenge. cholesterol. from. the. bloodstream,. from. LDL,. and. from. artery. walls. and. ferry. it. back. to. the. liver. for. disposal.. Think. of. HDL. as. the. garbage. trucks. of. the. bloodstream.. HDL. cholesterol. is. often. referred. to. as. good,. or. protective,. cholesterol.. Several. strategies. can. help. you. lower. the. amounts. of. total. and. harmful. LDL. cholesterol. in. your. bloodstream,. and. thus. your. risk. of. heart. disease.

Triglycerides. make. up. most. of. the. fat. that. you. eat. and. that. travels. through. the. bloodstream.. As. the. body’s. main. vehicle. for. transporting. fats. to. cells,. triglycerides. are. important. for. good. health.. But. as. is. the. case. for. so. many. things,. an. excess. of. triglycerides. can. be. unhealthy.

In. general,. the. lower. your. LDL. and. the. higher. your. HDL,. the. better. your. chances. of. preventing. heart. disease. and. other. chronic. conditions.. Guidelines. from. the. National. Cholesterol. Education. Program. suggest. specific. targets.

How. Fat. and. Cholesterol. in. Food. Affect. Blood. Cholesterol. Levels

The. types. of. fat. in. the. diet. determine. to. a. large. extent. the. amount. of. total,. HDL,. and. LDL. cholesterol. in. the. bloodstream.. The. types. and. amount. of. carbohydrate. in. the. diet. also. play. a. role.. Cholesterol. in. food. matters,. too,. but. not. nearly. as. much.

Unsaturated. fats. are. called. good. fats. because. they. can. improve. blood. cholesterol. levels,. ease. inflammation,. stabilize. heart. rhythms,. and. play. a. number. of. other. beneficial. roles.. Unsaturated. fats. are. predominantly. found. in. foods. from. plants,. such. as. vegetable. oils,. nuts,. and. seeds.. They. are. liquids. at. room. temperature.

There. are. two. types. of. unsaturated. fats:

. . . . Monounsaturated. fats. are. found. in. high. concentrations. in. olive,. peanut,. and. canola. oils;. avocados;. nuts. such. as. almonds,. hazelnuts,. and. pecans;. and. seeds. such. as. pumpkin. and. sesame. seeds.

. . . . Polyunsaturated. fats. are. found. in. high. concentrations. in. sunflower,. corn,. soybean,. and. flaxseed. oils,. and. also. in. foods. such. as. walnuts,. flax. seeds,. and. fish;. canola. oil,. though. higher. in. monounsaturated. fat,. is. also. a. good. source. of. polyunsaturated. fat.. Omega-3. fats,. which. are. fast. becoming. the. darling. of. the. supplement. industry,. are. an. important. type. of. polyunsaturated. fat.. The. body. can’t. make. these,. so. they. must. come. from. food.. An. excellent. way. to. get. omega-3. fats. is. by. eating. fish. two. or. three. times. a. week.. Good. plant. sources. of. omega-3. fats. include. chia. seeds. (sold. as. Salvia),. flax. seeds,. walnuts,. and. oils. such. as. flaxseed,. canola,. and. soybean.

Dutch. researchers. conducted. an. analysis. of. 60. trials. that. examined. the. effects. of. carbohydrates. and. various. fats. on. blood. lipid. levels.. In. trials. in. which. polyunsaturated. and. monounsaturated. fats. were. eaten. in. place. of. carbohydrates,. these. good. fats. decreased. levels. of. harmful. LDL. and. increased. protective. HDL.. . More. recently,. a. randomized. trial. known. as. the. Optimal. Macronutrient. Intake. Trial. for. Heart. Health. (OmniHeart). showed. that. replacing. a. carbohydrate-rich. diet. with. one. rich. in. unsaturated. fat,. predominantly. monounsaturated. fats,. lowers. blood. pressure,. improves. lipid. levels,. and. reduces. the. estimated. cardiovascular. risk..

Most. people. don’t. get. enough. of. these. healthful. unsaturated. fats. each. day.. No. strict. guidelines. have. been. published. regarding. their. intake.. The. traditional. Greek. diet,. for. example,. gets. up. to. 30. percent. of. its. calories. from. monounsaturated. fats,. mostly. from. olive. oil.. For. polyunsaturated. fats,. the. American. Heart. Association. has. set. 8. to. 10. percent. of. calories. as. a. prudent. target;. there. is. evidence,. though,. that. eating. more. polyunsaturated. fat—on. the. order. of. 15. percent. of. daily. calories—in. place. of. saturated. fat. can. lower. heart. disease. risk.. . Since. no. one. eats. by. percentage. of. daily. calories,. a. good. rule. of. thumb. is. to. choose. foods. rich. in. unsaturated. fats. over. foods. rich. in. saturated. fats. whenever. possible.. (To. learn. more,. check. out. this. chart,. Finding. Foods. with. Healthy. Fats.)

Bad. Fats.

There’s. been. controversy. brewing. over. the. past. decade. about. just. how. bad. saturated. fat. is. for. health.. Fueling. the. debate,. in. part,. has. been. the. resurgence. of. the. Atkins. Diet,. which. eschews. carbs. but. allows. liberal. use. of. high-fat. foods,. including. foods. high. in. saturated. fat—butter,. bacon,. steak,. cheese,. and. the. like.. . More. recently,. several. studies. seemed. to. suggest. that. eating. diets. high. in. saturated. fat. did. not. raise. the. risk. of. heart. disease—a. finding. that. ran. counter. to. decades. of. dietary. advice.. . One. highly-publicized. report. analyzed. the. findings. of. 21. studies. that. followed. 350,000. people. for. up. to. 23. years.. Investigators. looked. at. the. relationship. between. saturated. fat. intake. and. coronary. heart. disease. (CHD),. stroke,. and. cardiovascular. disease. (CVD).. Their. controversial. conclusion:. “There. is. insufficient. evidence. from. prospective. epidemiologic. studies. to. conclude. that. dietary. saturated. fat. is. associated. with. an. increased. risk. of. CHD,. stroke,. or. CVD.”

With. headlines. like. “Saturated. Fat. is. Not. Your. Heart’s. Enemy,”. and. “NOT. GUILTY:. The. Long-Standing. Vilification. of. Saturated. Fat. Finally. Turning. to. Vindication,”. . some. of. the. media. and. blog. coverage. of. these. studies. would. have. you. believe. that. scientists. had. given. a. green. light. to. eating. bacon,. butter,. and. cheese.. But. that’s. an. oversimplified. and. erroneous. interpretation.. Read. the. study. and. subsequent. studies. more. closely,. and. the. message. is. more. nuanced:. Cutting. back. on. saturated. fat. can. be. good. for. health. if. people. replace. saturated. fat. with. good. fats,. especially,. polyunsaturated. fats.. . . Eating. good. fats. in. place. of. saturated. fat. lowers. the. “bad”. LDL. cholesterol,. and. it. improves. the. ratio. of. total. cholesterol. to. “good”. HDL. cholesterol,. lowering. the. risk. of. heart. disease.. Eating. good. fats. in. place. of. saturated. fat. can. also. help. prevent. insulin. resistance,. a. precursor. to. diabetes..

Cutting. back. on. saturated. fat. will. likely. have. no. benefit,. however,. if. people. replace. saturated. fat. with. refined. carbohydrates—white. bread,. white. rice,. mashed. potatoes,. sugary. drinks,. and. the. like.. Eating. refined. carbs. in. place. of. saturated. fat. does. lower. “bad”. LDL. cholesterol—but. it. also. lowers. the. “good”. HDL. cholesterol. and. increases. triglycerides.. The. net. effect. is. as. bad. for. the. heart. as. eating. too. much. saturated. fat—and. perhaps. even. worse. for. people. who. have. insulin. resistance. because. they. are. overweight. or. inactive..

The. latest. Dietary. Guidelines. for. Americans. recommends. getting. less. than. 10. percent. of. calories. each. day. from. saturated. fat.. . The. American. Heart. Association. goes. even. further,. recommending. limiting. saturated. fat. to. no. more. than. 7. percent. of. calories.. . But. framing. diet. recommendations. in. terms. of. “percentage. of. daily. calories”. is. not. terribly. useful. for. the. average. consumer.. That’s. because. people. eat. foods—not. isolated. nutrients.

In. the. U.S.,. pizza. and. cheese. are. the. biggest. food. sources. of. saturated. fat. in. the. diet.. . Other. dairy. products. (whole. and. reduced. fat. milk,. butter,. dairy. desserts). and. meat. products. (sausage,. bacon,. beef,. hamburgers). are. also. major. contributors,. as. are. foods. made. with. them. (cookies. and. other. grain-based. desserts,. Mexican. dishes).. Keep. in. mind. that. all. foods. contain. a. mix. of. fats:. Even. “healthy”. foods. like. chicken. and. nuts. do. contribute. some. saturated. fat. to. the. diet,. though. they. are. much. lower. in. saturated. fat. than. beef,. cheese,. and. ice. cream.. A. few. plant. foods. are. also. high. in. saturated. fats,. such. as. coconut. and. coconut. oil,. palm. oil,. and. palm. kernel. oil.

As. a. general. rule,. it’s. a. good. idea. to. keep. your. intake. of. saturated. fats. as. low. as. possible.. We. can’t. eliminate. saturated. fat. from. our. diets. completely,. because. foods. that. are. good. sources. of. healthy. fats—olive. oil,. walnuts,. and. salmon—also. contain. a. little. bit. of. saturated. fat.. And. it. would. be. a. mistake. to. cut. back. on. nuts,. oils,. and. fish. to. minimize. saturated. fat.. When. you. add. it. up,. red. meat. and. full-fat. dairy. products. (cheese,. milk,. ice. cream,. butter). are. among. the. main. sources. of. saturated. fat. in. our. diets.. So. keeping. these. foods. low. is. the. best. way. to. reduce. intake. of. saturated. fat.. And. when. you. cut. back. on. red. meat. and. dairy. products,. replace. them. with. foods. that. contain. healthy. fats—fatty. fish. like. salmon,. nuts. and. seeds,. plant. oils,. avocadoes—not. with. foods. that. are. high. in. refined. carbohydrates.

Very. Bad. Fats:. Trans. Fats

Trans. fatty. acids,. more. commonly. called. trans. fats,. are. made. by. heating. liquid. vegetable. oils. in. the. presence. of. hydrogen. gas. and. a. catalyst,. a. process. called. hydrogenation.. Partially. hydrogenating. vegetable. oils. makes. them. more. stable. and. less. likely. to. spoil.. It. also. converts. the. oil. into. a. solid,. which. makes. transportation. easier.. Partially. hydrogenated. oils. can. also. withstand. repeated. heating. without. breaking. down,. making. them. ideal. for. frying. fast. foods.. (Fully. hydrogenating. a. vegetable. oil. creates. a. fat. that. acts. like. a. saturated. fat.). It’s. no. wonder. that. partially. hydrogenated. oils. became. a. mainstay. in. restaurants. and. the. food. industry,. for. frying,. baked. goods,. and. processed. snack. foods. and. margarines.

For. years,. margarine. was. promoted. as. a. heart-healthy. alternative. to. butter.. Since. margarine. was. made. from. unsaturated. vegetable. oils,. most. people. assumed. it. would. be. better. for. long-term. health. than. butter,. which. was. known. to. contain. a. lot. of. cholesterol. and. saturated. fat.. That. assumption. turned. out. to. be. wrong.. Research. showed. that. some. forms. of. margarine—specifically. the. hard. stick. margarines—were. worse. for. the. heart. than. butter.. This. was. because. they. contained. large. amounts. of. trans. fats. from. partially. hydrogenated. oils.

The. Nurses’. Health. Study. found. that. women. who. ate. 4. teaspoons. of. stick. margarine. a. day. had. a. 50. percent. greater. risk. of. heart. disease. than. women. who. ate. margarine. only. rarely..

So. should. you. choose. butter. over. margarine?. Whenever. possible,. skip. both. and. use. a. liquid. vegetable. oil.. At. the. table,. try. dipping. bread. in. olive. oil. instead. of. slathering. it. with. butter. or. margarine.. When. sautéing,. try. using. olive,. canola,. or. another. liquid. vegetable. oil,. with. a. little. bit. of. butter. for. flavor.. If. you. need. something. spreadable,. choose. a. soft. margarine. that. is. not. only. trans. free. but. low. in. saturated. fat.. A. number. of. soft. margarines. are. made. from. a. blend. of. healthful. oils,. and. some. have. the. added. benefit. of. containing. cholesterol-lowering. plant. sterols.. Keep. in. mind. that. you. need. to. eat. two. servings. of. these. sterol-containing. margarines. a. day. to. put. a. small. dent. in. your. LDL. level.. Read. more. about. how. to. spot. trans. fat. on. food. labels.

Partially. hydrogenated. oil. is. not. the. only. source. of. trans. fats. in. our. diets.. Trans. fats. are. also. naturally. found. in. beef. fat. and. dairy. fat,. in. small. amounts.

Trans. fats. are. worse. for. cholesterol. levels. than. saturated. fats. because. they. raise. bad. LDL. and. lower. good. HDL.. They. also. fire. inflammation,. . an. over. activity. of. the. immune. system. that. has. been. implicated. in. heart. disease,. stroke,. diabetes,. and. other. chronic. conditions.. And. they. contribute. to. insulin. resistance.. (26). Even. small. amounts. of. Trans. fat. in. the. diet. can. have. harmful. health. effects.. For. every. extra. 2. percent. of. calories. from. Trans. fat. daily,. the. risk. of. coronary. heart. disease. increases. by. 23. percent.. Eliminating. industrial-produced. Trans. fats. from. the. U.S.. food. supply. could. prevent. between. 6. and. 19. percent. of. heart. attacks. and. related. deaths,. or. more. than. 200,000. each. year..

In. the. 1990s,. the. average. American. was. eating. about. six. grams. of. trans. fats. a. day,. most. of. that. from. partially. hydrogenated. oils. found. in. commercially. prepared. baked. goods,. margarines,. snack. foods,. processed. foods,. French. fries,. and. other. fried. foods. prepared. in. restaurants. and. fast. food. franchises.. . Ideally. that. should. be. under. two. grams. a. day,. and. zero. from. partially. hydrogenated. oils. is. best.

A. 2006. labeling. law. that. forced. food. companies. to. list. trans. fats. on. the. label. has. reduced. trans. fat. levels. in. the. U.S.. food. supply,. since. many. food. makers. have. switched. to. using. trans-free. oils. and. fats. in. their. products.. And. recent. study. from. the. Centers. for. Disease. Control. and. Prevention. finds. that. Americans’. blood-levels. of. trans. fats. dropped. 58. percent. from. 2000. to. 2009—evidence. that. the. labeling. law. has. had. its. desired. effect.. . . Some. experts. had. feared. that. food. makers. would. replace. trans. fat. with. saturated. fat,. diminishing. any. health. benefits. from. the. switch.. But. 2010. survey. of. 83. major-brand. grocery. store. products. and. restaurant. dishes. offers. encouraging. news:. When. most. of. these. food. makers. reformulated. their. products,. they. cut. back. on. trans. fat. without. increasing. saturated. fat..

As. Trans. fat. intake. dwindles. in. developed. countries,. it. is. on. the. rise. in. some. developing. nations.. Inexpensive. partially. hydrogenated. soybean. oil. has. become. a. staple. not. only. for. the. food. industry. but. for. home. use.. This. shift. away. from. traditional. cooking. oils. and. toward. trans-rich. partially. hydrogenated. oils. is. contributing. to. the. growing. epidemic. of. cardiovascular. disease. in. developing. nations. around. the. world.

Cholesterol. in. Food

eggs-cholesterol.. The. discovery. half. a. century. ago. that. high. blood. cholesterol. levels. were. strongly. associated. with. an. increased. risk. for. heart. disease. triggered. numerous. warnings. to. avoid. foods. that. contain. cholesterol,. especially. eggs. and. liver.. As. it. turns. out,. most. people. make. more. cholesterol. than. they. absorb. from. their. food.. A. body. of. scientific. studies. shows. only. a. weak. relationship. between. the. amount. of. cholesterol. a. person. consumes. and. his. or. her. blood. cholesterol. levels. . (weak. but. still. important. for. heart. disease).. In. studies. of. more. than. 80,000. female. nurses,. Harvard. researchers. found. that. consuming. about. an. egg. a. day. was. not. associated. with. higher. risk. of. heart. disease. (too. few. women. in. the. study. were. eating. more. than. an. egg. a. day. to. evaluate. the. effects. of. higher. egg. intakes).. One. reason. for. the. lack. of. association. is. that. eggs. are. a. good. source. of. many. nutrients. that. may. counterbalance. a. slight. increase. in. risk. of. heart. disease.. . Also,. eggs. can. take. the. place. of. other. breakfast. foods. that. have. adverse. effects,. such. as. white. toast. with. butter.. . One. note. of. caution:. Among. women. in. this. study. with. diabetes. and. in. another. study. of. men. with. diabetes,. higher. egg. consumption. has. been. associated. with. increased. risks. of. heart. disease.

Research. suggests. that. moderate. egg. consumption. can. be. part. of. a. healthy. diet.. But. this. research. doesn’t. give. the. green. light. to. daily. three-egg. omelets,. especially. for. people. who. already. have. heart. disease. or. diabetes.. Read. more. about. eggs. and. heart. health.

For. most. people,. the. amount. of. cholesterol. eaten. has. only. a. modest. impact. on. the. amount. of. cholesterol. circulating. in. the. blood.. (37). For. some. people,. though,. blood. cholesterol. levels. rise. and. fall. very. strongly. in. relation. to. the. amount. of. cholesterol. eaten.. For. these. “responders,”. avoiding. cholesterol-rich. foods. can. have. a. substantial. effect. on. blood. cholesterol. levels.. Unfortunately,. at. this. point. there. is. no. way. other. than. by. trial. and. error. to. identify. responders. from. non-responders. to. dietary. cholesterol.