Fats

Main article: Obesity

Fat - Energy Source and Storage

From the point of view of evolution, fat is good, both in foods and in the body. Tens of millions of years ago, living organisms found it difficult to extract calories, so any excess food was deposited in adipose tissue if possible. You can't store a lot of carbohydrates - with serious physical exertion, the supply of glycogen is quickly depleted - but you can accumulate a lot of fat, store it for a long time and extract energy from it much more than from proteins or carbohydrates.

The number of fat cells in a person forms up to three years and does not change with age. When we get fat - fat cells increase in size when we lose weight - "deflate."

In terms of survival, the desire to store fat has been so effective that this program is present in all warm-blooded ones so far. Evolution could not assume that a person would invent a supermarket at home.

Fat is an important participant in exchange processes

Fat is part of the cell walls and sheaths of nerve fibers, regulates heat exchange, participates in the synthesis of hormones and the absorption of vitamins. If the body lacks fats, metabolism is disturbed, hormonal failures occur, immunity is reduced.

With adipose tissue deficiency, the location of internal organs changes. For example, kidneys need a fat "pillow." If the interlayer thins, the kidneys drop, the ureters bend - this leads to pyelonephritis, an increase in blood pressure, etc.

Two types of fats: saturated and unsaturated

Fats (triglycerides) consist of glycerol and fatty acids. The glycerol molecule in all types of fats is the same, and fatty acids are divided into saturated and unsaturated by chemical structure (the number of double carbon bonds). The properties of fat depend on which kind of fatty acids prevails in it.

Comparative Table of Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids

"Division in the table is conditional: all products contain both fatty acids in different ratios. Unsaturated fatty acids, in turn, are divided into two more groups: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. "

Monounsaturated fats are found in olive, rapeseed, peanut oil, in avocado, almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans nuts and hazelnuts.

Polyunsaturated fats are omega-3 and omega-6. They are known as EPA (eicosapentaenoic fatty acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic fatty acid), respectively, often designated in English as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

Omega-3 is found in mackerel, sardines, herring, red fish, rapeseed and soybean oil, eggs, linseed, walnuts, pine nuts.

Omega-6 is found in safflower, sunflower and corn oil, almonds, pecan nuts, Brazilian nuts and seeds.

Pay attention! Omega-3 from linseed oil does not replace omega-3 from fish oil, they are assimilated differently.

Trans fats are a separate type of fat. And they are harmful

Unsaturated fats with an "ordinary" structure are called cisfats. Some unsaturated fats have an "unusual" chemical structure - they are called trans fats.

If you heat the vegetable oil for a long time or treat it chemically - as in the production of margarine, confectionery or frying in fries - a huge amount of trans^[1] is formed from cysts].

Although trans fats are chemically classified as unsaturated fats, they stand alone in dietetics because their use is harmful to health.

Effects of different fats on heart health

Saturated fats: a lot - harmful

Eating a large amount of saturated fats increases the level of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL) in the blood. Cholesterol deposits on the walls of vessels, narrows their lumen, reduces elasticity and causes inflammation.

Back in the 20th century, numerous studies and clinical experience showed that high pressure is directly related to the consumption of a large amount of animal food rich in fats.

Nevertheless, the body needs saturated fats, you should not refuse them, you just need to ensure that you do not consume more than 25-30 grams per day (for guidance: a teaspoon contains 5 grams of butter).

Unsaturated fats: the most useful

Unsaturated cifiers have been proven to lower "bad" cholesterol, improve vascular conditions and normalize blood pressure. With regular use, they are able to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Numerous studies have noted an association between omega-3 and omega-6 use and vascular improvement. Studies prove that even if a person has been eating mainly fatty "unhealthy" food for many years, when switching to a plant-based diet, his heart and vascular condition will significantly improve.

Trans fats: dangerous to health

Fats in general have a bad reputation because of trans fats, and for good reason.

Trans fats are a truly harmful type of fat, despite their unsaturation. Systematic consumption of even a small number of trans fats dramatically increases the risk of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease.

Record holders for the content of trans fats - margarine and confectionery fat. People with cardiovascular disease cannot consume these products.

Fat consumption rate

To reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that about 30% of the diet is fat, of which not more than 10% are saturated; trans fats - less than 1%.

For example, with a norm of 2,000 calories per day, fats should account for about 700 calories. Such energy value is contained in 78 grams of fats, of which about 22 grams can be of animal origin.

6 principles of fat consumption for heart health

1 Dishes: pan and steam instead of pan.

2 Frying: vegetable oil instead of butter.

3 Fat in meat and chicken: skin and visible fat are better removed.

4 Salads: olive oil instead of sour cream or mayonnaise.

5 Fatty fish: at least 2-3 times a week.

6 Snack on the go: banana, yogurt or dried fruits instead of fast food.

Why muscles are heavier than fat

Muscles are heavier than fat because the cells that make up the muscle are denser than fat cells

The cytoplasm (inner medium) of a fat cell contains mainly fats (lipids), while the cytoplasm of a muscle cell contains mainly contractile proteins (myosin and actin) suspended in an aqueous medium. And lipids are less dense than water.

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