The truth about Fats

TRUTH ABOUT FAT

By NETHRA VIJAYAKUMAR

DIETARY FAT

Fat is a type of nutrient, and just like protein and carbohydrates, your body needs some fat for energy, to absorb vitamins, and to protect your heart and brain health. 

Dietary fat and cholesterol

Dietary fat also plays a major role in your cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance that your body needs to function properly. In and of itself, cholesterol isn’t bad. But when you get too much of it, it can have a negative impact on your health. As with dietary fat, there are good and bad types of cholesterol.

         • HDL cholesterol is the “good” kind of cholesterol found in your blood.

         • LDL cholesterol is the “bad” kind.

         • The key is to keep LDL levels low and HDL high, which may protect against heart disease and stroke.

         • Conversely, high levels of LDL cholesterol can clog arteries and low HDL can be a marker for increased cardiovascular risk.

Rather than the amount of cholesterol you eat, the biggest influence on your cholesterol levels is the type of fats you consume. So instead of counting cholesterol, it’s important to focus on replacing bad fats with good fats.

MYTH: Fats are bad for you

FACT: Eat fat, gain fat, right? For many decades, the traditional way to lose weight has been to subject oneself to a low-fat diet, yet current evidence suggests that, given the same caloric deficit and protein intake, low-fat and low-carb diets produce similar weight losses. 

Moreover, while low-fat diets are not inherently unhealthy, shunning all fat from your diet can be dangerous, since your body needs to consume at least some omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. As for saturated fat being the main driver of cardiovascular disease: yes, just another myth.

MYTH: Trans fats can be completely eliminated from the diet.

FACT: Because small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in some meats and dairy products, you can't eliminate them from the diet. But you can reduce the amount of trans fats you consume. Avoiding foods that contain or are prepared with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils is the easiest way to minimize your intake of trans fats.

MYTH: Trans fats can be formed at home by cooking an oil to its smoking point.

FACT: Trans fats can't be produced during home cooking, even if the oil temperature is high enough to make oil smoke. This type of fat is produced when hydrogen is added to turn liquid vegetable oils into solid fats. However, letting oil reach the smoking point isn't good because it breaks down fatty acids, forming harmful oxidation products. Overcooked oil also makes fried foods taste bad.

Summary:

The truth is that if you stay in a caloric surplus, a low-fat diet won’tmake you lose weight. You need some omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and saturated fat won’t necessarily give you a heart attack( but too much trans fat may).