To complete our trip around the macronutrient world we deep dive into the most versatile: Fat. For everything you need to know about protein click here for carbs click here. Before deep diving fat as a macronutrient a distinction needs to be made. Often times fat and lipid are used interchangeably. Lipids are a more general term that includes triglycerides. This article will focus on fat and its many usages. Fat is used for stored energy (9k/cal per gram), carbs and protein on the other hand are 4k/cal per gram. I say stored energy as carbs are your primary source; fat can be used when muscle glycogen is depleted or if the intensity is low enough and duration is long enough. Fat is also used in the blood to carry fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, K. Steroid hormones (not those steroids) but natural steroid hormones such as testosterone and cortisol are fat soluble and transported across cell membranes. When cooking fats provide flavor and aroma. Additionally, fats provide a protection for organs.
Fats are the Star Wars of the macronutrients. They have a dark side that is harmful to the body and a light side that is needed by the body for basic functions. Fats are broken down into two categories: Saturated (dark side) and Unsaturated (light side). Saturated fat is derived from animal fat and is not a dietary requirement. Saturated fat should be used sparingly throughout the body as it is considered the "bad" fat. Unsaturated on the other hand can be further broken down into monosaturated (one double bond) and polyunsaturated (two or more double bonds). Monosaturated fat are liquid at room temperature and solid when chilled. The majority of monosaturated fat are your cooking oils (olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil) and your higher fat products such as avocados and peanut butter. Polyunsaturated fats are a healthy type of fat that are needed for proper functions. These contains Omega 3's and Omega 6's. Omega 3's and 6's are necessary for the formation of healthy cell membranes, proper development, and function of of the brain and nervous system. Omega 3's can be found in your fattier fish such as salmon, and halibut. Omega 6's can be found in oils such as safflower, soybean and corn oil (or products made with these types of oils). Walnuts, and flaxseeds are another source of omega-3 requirements, however there is a catch. When consuming they undergo a chemical conversion from omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to Eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This process is widely ineffective as roughly 5% of ALA is converted into less than .5% of DHA in adults. Speaking generally, majority of fats and oils contain a mix of all three fatty acids (saturated, mono, poly) with one being dominate.
Cholesterol gets lumped in with fats when having a conversation about fat as a macronutrient. Sticking with the Star Wars theme cholesterol like fat has properties needed by the body for structural, and functional components needed for cell membranes. Cholesterol is also needed for Vitamin D and hormonal production (light side). The dark side of cholesterol is accumulating into your arteries narrowing your blood vessels leading to heart disease and possibly a stroke. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are your "bad" cholesterol and is closely associated with saturated fat, trans fat and increased risk of heart disease. High density lipoproteins (HDL) is the "light" side of cholesterol that is protective of heart disease.
In terms of numbers having less then 200 mg/dl total cholesterol is ideal; anything over 200 is considered borderline high. For LDL 100 is optimal while anything over 130 is borderline high. HDL has the Goldi locks principle in place with less than 40 being low while greater than 60 is high. 50 is the optimal number in terms of HDL numbers.
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