In The Body

Main Benefits

• Temperature Regulation
• Balanced Hormone
• Better Reproductive Health
• Adequate Vitamin Storage
• Good Neurological Function/Better Brain Function
• Balanced Blood Sugar
• Stronger Immune System
• Boosts Testosterone (in Men)
• Depression, anger & suicide

Ever since the 1960’s when research came out that linked saturated fat and cholesterol with heart disease, the low-fat food industry has flourished and we have avoided dietary fat like the plague.

The very sad (but good) thing is that the original research that started this all of this has been invalidated.

It turns out that saturated fat is not the main cause of heart disease. If that was the case, some high-fat eating populations around the world would have been wiped out (one of these is the Inuit tribe of Greenland – they still eat high amounts of saturated animal fats, and have very low levels of heart disease, diabetes and obesity).

Eating a greater proportion of your calories from fat can help you achieve optimal body composition. Your body requires a decent amount of fat to stay lean for the following reasons:

• Fat makes up the outside layer of all the cells in your body. Ideally, this lipid layer will be composed of omega-3 fats because this makes the cells more sensitive to insulin, allowing for an energetic metabolism and less inflammation.
• By decreasing your carb intake and replacing it with fat, you can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and support your metabolism.
• Omega-3 fats help turn on genes that are involved with lipolysis or the burning of fat, while turning off the genes that store fat.
• Omega-3 fats also support thyroid hormone function, which is a hormone closely involved in body fat regulation. Low thyroid hormone is a common reason people can’t lose fat.
• Cholesterol, which comes with fat, is used to make hormones. Eating a greater proportion of fat allows for hormonal balance of androgens such as testosterone and oestrogen. Fat loss and the maintenance of a lean physique are much easier if hormones are balanced.
• Fat is filling. When paired with a nice dose of protein, fat can lead to greater satisfaction from eating, curbing hunger and cravings. Research suggests that the medium chain fatty acids are the most satiating.

Temperature Regulation

Fat cells, stored in adipose tissue, insulate your body and help sustain a normal core body temperature. Other stored fats surround vital organs and keep them protected from sudden movements or outside impacts.

Hormone Balance

Cholesterol is a type of lipid needed to produce important steroid hormones in your body. Oestrogen, testosterone, progesterone and the active form of vitamin D are all formed from cholesterol and are needed to maintain pregnancy, develop sex characteristics and regulate calcium levels in your body.

According to the American Heart Association, about 25% of the cholesterol in your blood comes from your diet, from animal foods such as egg yolks, cheese and shrimp, and the other 75% is formed in your liver and cells.

Reproductive Benefits

Fat is critical for reproductive health in both men and women because it’s used to manufacture hormones and improves gene signalling that regulates hormone balance.

For women, not eating enough fat is a common cause of infertility, while eating the wrong fats such as trans fats, increases complications from PMS and menopause.

For men, lack of good fats reduces testosterone and other androgen hormones that are critical for reproductive health.

For instance, a study found that reducing fat intake in men by increasing carbohydrate intake led to significantly lower free flowing testosterone. And total androgen hormone levels were down 12%.

Adequate Vitamin Storage

Some types of vitamins rely on fat for absorption and storage. Vitamins A, D, E and K, called fat-soluble vitamins, cannot function without adequate daily fat intake. These vitamins are essential parts of your daily diet.

Vitamin A keeps your eyes healthy and promotes good vision, vitamin D assists in keeping your bones strong by boosting calcium absorption, vitamin E protects cells by neutralising free radicals and vitamin K is important for blood clotting.

If you don't meet your daily fat intake or follow a low-fat diet, absorption of these vitamins may be limited resulting in impaired functioning.

Good Neurological Function

Did you know up to 60-70% of our brain is made of fat? Fat is very important for proper brain function, but it needs to be the right kind of fat.

We need to get enough omega 3-fatty acids because these are the essential building blocks of our brain and they're important for learning and memory.

• Brain Function

Our brain is mainly made of cholesterol and fat, most of which should be essential fatty acids, in particular DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). The precise characteristics of the lipid layer of brain neurons influences electrical properties, which dictate everything from mood to neuromuscular function to cognition.

Adequate good fat intake helps prevent depression, and one side effect of the low-fat diets that have been erroneously recommended to lower cholesterol levels, has seen an increase in suicide rates. This is caused by a deficiency of cholesterol and fat in the brain, which causes lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin that makes people feel good.

Balanced Blood Sugar

Eating healthy fats, actually lowers blood sugar levels and improves insulin control, according to findings from a new meta-analysis.

They looked at data for 4,660 adults that had been collected in 102 studies. In the randomised, controlled trials, the adults were given meals containing various types and quantities of carbohydrate and fat.

The researchers examined how these variations in diet impacted measures of metabolic health, and specifically, how saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates impact the development of type 2 diabetes.

The study focused on key biological markers of glucose and insulin control. These were blood sugar, blood insulin, insulin resistance and sensitivity, and how well the body was able to produce insulin in response to blood sugar.

Results suggested that consuming foods rich in monounsaturated fat or polyunsaturated fat had a positive effect on blood glucose control, compared with consumption of dietary carbohydrate or saturated fat.

For each 5 percent of dietary energy that was switched from carbohydrates to saturated fats, mono- or polyunsaturated fats, they found a drop of around 0.1 percent in HbA1c – a blood marker of long-term glucose control.

Previous research has suggested that for each 0.1 percent decrease in HbA1c, the incidence of type 2 diabetes drops by 22 percent and the chance of developing cardiovascular diseases falls by 6.8 percent.

Stronger Immune System

Saturated fats such as those found in butter & coconut oil, contain the fatty acids lauric and myristic acid. They are anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal and have been found to decrease infection rates by killing bacteria such as harmful candida yeast.

Signs Of Too Little fat In Your Body

If you regularly short yourself on fat, you'll lack fatty acids that produce oily secretions for keeping your skin supple, which can lead to dry and flaky skin.

You could also find that your immune system isn't working as well, because fat helps your body absorb vitamins A and D, both of which are vital to immunity. Other potential signs that you're not eating enough fat are mood swings, increased appetite and a rise in inflammation.

• Dry and scaly skin
• Dry eyes
• Feeling constantly cold
• Dry hair and/or hair loss
• Hormonal problems, including loss of menstrual cycle
• Inability to feel full/always feeling hungry
• Issues concentrating and/or mental fatigue
• Deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins
• Constant fatigue

Testosterone

Low fat diets decrease men's testosterone levels – which can increase the risk of a whole range of health issues for men, a new study warns.

UK researchers say low testosterone levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. In a sample of 206 men, the nutritionists at the University of Worcester found low fat diets decreased testosterone levels by an average of 10% to 15 %.

Depression, anger & suicide

The first clue that low-fat diets might have anything to do with depression or self-directed violence turned up a few decades ago, quite by surprise. Large community-based studies of heart disease prevention strategies showed that among persons with the lowest cholesterol levels, there was a increased incidence of death not caused by illness, primarily to suicide, accidents, and violence.

A long-term study of 12,404 people assessed over 10 years found that men on a low-fat diet were 26% more likely to be depressed after 1 year than other men. After 10 years, their risk of depression remained 14% higher. Women on a low-fat diet were 37% more likely to be depressed after 1 year than other women. After 10 years, their risk of depression remained 30% higher. Low-fat diets were defined in the research as regularly eating fat-free meals, fat-free dairy, and low-fat dairy alternatives such as margarine.

Another long-term study of 12,059 people over 11 years found that, the less people consumed olive oil, polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, the more likely they were to become depressed. The more people that ate trans-fatty acids the more likely they were to become depressed.

The dangers of trans fats

Artificial trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.

The primary dietary source for trans fats in processed food is “partially hydrogenated oils. In November 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) in human food.

How do trans fats affect my health?

Before 1990, very little was known about how trans fat can harm your health. In the 1990s, research began identifying the adverse health effects of trans fats. It was found that Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

With a huge proportion of people's diets being processed food, individuals consume high levels of trans fats based on their food choices.

Which foods contain trans fats?

Trans fats can be found in many foods – including fried foods like doughnuts, Chips/fries, fried chicken, and baked goods including cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, frozen pizza, cookies, crackers, and margarines and other spreadable butters (please see the flowchart below on how spreadable butters are made).

You can determine the amount of trans fats in a particular packaged food by looking at the Nutrition Facts panel. However, products can be listed as “0 grams of trans fats” if they contain 0 grams or less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. You can also spot trans fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils.”

How much trans fat can I eat a day?

It is our recommendation to cut back on or completely eliminate as many foods as possible containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet and prepare lean organic meats, poultry, dairy and try to go as whole foods based as you can.

Conclusion

So in conclusion, while vilified by the diet industry and low fat zealots. Fat is an essential nutrient required by many processes in the human body. And healthy fats should be considered an important part of any healthy balanced nutrition plan.