Hope you read our earlier posts on Carbohydrate Benefits and Protein Benefits. Let us have a look at the benefits of fat and how fat deficiency affects health.
Visit this page to read our post 'The Benefits of Balanced Diet; Did Ancient Tamils Follow Balanced Diet?'
Importance of Fat
Fat is one of the macronutrients our body requires to stay healthy. We know that the energy from a food is measured by calories. We get 9 calories from one gram of fat.
Fat not only gives us energy but also contributes in cell growth and in supporting internal organs. Fat is essential for proper growth and absorption of certain vitamins. According to a research, consumption of foods rich in HDL, the good fat, reduces risk of heart conditions.
Good Fat and Bad Fat
For some, fat spells bad health and nothing more. However, all fat are not created equal. Fat is basically classified as unsaturated fat and saturated fat.
Unsaturated Fat
Unsaturated fat is good for health. This is classified as monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. This type of fat is obtained from vegetables and plants. Unsaturated fat helps to reduce bad fat, that is, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) while aiding in maintaining good fat, that is High Density Lipoprotein (HDL).
Monounsaturated Fat
A type of unsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat is found in nuts like almond and groundnut, seeds including sesame and pumpkin and olive.
Polyunsaturated Fat
Polyunsaturated fat is found in sesame, sunflower, soya bean, corn and flax seeds. Certain types of fish are a very good source of polyunsaturated fat.
Omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids are unsaturated fats. Out of these omega-3 and omega-6 are polyunsaturated fats. Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA) in omega-3 and Linoleic Acid (LA) in omega-6 are termed essential fatty acids as these cannot be produced by the body. Hence, these essential fatty oils can be acquired only from food. Check this page of Harvard.edu for detailed study on this subject.
Omega-9 fatty acid is monounsaturated fat. Since this can be produced by the body, it is not termed as essential fatty acid.
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are unhealthy. Animal foods including meat and milk products including butter are saturated fats. These type of fats increase the levels of LDL and hence they are termed unhealthy. According to a research, consuming lesser amounts of saturated fat foods decrease total cholesterol and LDl, that is the bad cholesterol. Hence, moderation is key.
Trans Fat
Trans fat is formed during hydrogenation of vegetable oil. Though this is a type of unsaturated fat, it does the body harm. Trans fat reduces levels of good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol in the body. Trans fat is produced both naturally and artificially. It is naturally found in certain animal products and its artificial type is found in some oils. Trans fat in oil is very harmful.
Benefits of Fat
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Some of the important benefits of fat include:
- It energizes the whole body.
- Maintains body temperature.
- Cushions internal organs and protects them.
- Good fat helps to prevent heart conditions.
- Helps to maintain healthy blood pressure.
- Maintains healthy cholesterol levels.
- Certain vitamins are fat-soluble. These fats aid in absorbing such vitamins, which boost immunity, support bone health and improve vision.
- Energy from fat helps in cellular growth.
- Omega-9 fatty acid boosts immune power. According to a research, omega-9 fatty acid helps to cure inflammation of liver and lungs. It also aids in healing skin inflammation and supports wound healing.
Are Coconut Oil And Palm Oil Bad for Health?
For many years, coconut oil and palm oil were rejected as bad fat. Following various researches on coconut oil that confirmed its benefits, coconut oil found its rightful place in many households. According to a research on coconut oil and palm oil, using these oils help to reduce risk of heart conditions and aids in preventing diabetes and cancer. According to the research, palm oil improves vision in those with night blindness and prevents certain chronic health conditions.
A research released in October 2022 edition of ScienceDirect announces that consuming recommended amount of palm oil supports heart health, prevents diabetes and inflammation. The research further states that palm oil is an effective antithrombotic.
Required Amount of Fat Per Day
It is recommended that 25% to 35% of calorie intake per day should come from fat foods.
Symptoms of Fat Deficiency in the Body
Some of the symptoms of fat deficiency in the body include:
- Low fat results in poor absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
- Low immunity; frequent occurrence of infections
- Hormone imbalances
- Fatigue
- Skin conditions including dry skin and slow wound healing process.
- Poor growth.
- Hair loss.
Good Sources of Fat
Though fat is classified as good and bad fat, all fat foods contain most forms of fat. Hence, it is recommended to choose foods appropriately and ensure intake of appropriate quantity based on the type of fat.
Some of the foods rich in fat include:
- Certain types of fish
- Meat
- Spirulina
- Egg
- Nuts including almond and walnut
- Avocado
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Flax seeds
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Soya
- Coconut oil
- Canola oil
- Palm oil
Rama Thamizharasu
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