For a very long time we saw fat as the enemy and were told that we should eliminate it from our diets. So people have become fearful of fat and have switched to low-fat options in their diets, but this has not made us healthier. Because by avoiding fats, we also reduced the good fats in our diet, but increased our consumption of carbohydrates and sugar.
Not all fats deserve your hatred, because not all fats are unhealthy. Your body actually needs fat. It gives you energy, helps you absorb vitamins and minerals, forms the outer layer of your cells (cell membranes and neuron sheaths) and is essential for things like blood clotting, muscle movement and controlling inflammation.
So how can we make sure we’re fuelling our bodies with good fats and not bad fats? Let’s simplify the world of fats together.
What are fats?
Let “s first go back to biology class.
Fats, also known as lipids, are a group of chemical compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. Together with carbohydrates and proteins, they are one of the three main macronutrients that make up the diet of animals and humans. They play numerous roles in the body, including energy storage, insulation and cell membrane structure.
Structurally, fats are composed of molecules called triglycerides, which consist of a glycerol backbone linked to three fatty acid chains. These chains can vary in length, degree of saturation (the number of hydrogen atoms attached to carbon atoms) and shape, leading to different types of fat with different physical properties and impact on our bodies.
How did fats become our enemy?
Fat became an enemy through word of mouth in health narratives in the late 20th century when increased rates of heart disease were linked to saturated fat consumption.
This encouraged a movement towards low-fat diets, unconsciously demonising all fats, including healthy ones, and causing people to overlook the delicate role of different types of fat in our diet and health.
When it comes to staying healthy, not all types of fat are equal. Good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, bad ones are industrially produced trans fats, and saturated fats are somewhere in the middle.
So basically, fats can be categorised as good (unsaturated) and bad (saturated and trans fats) based on their impact on our health.
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Different types of fat
1. Trans fats
Trans fats are the most harmful type of fat, obtained through a process called hydrogenation, which turns healthy fats into solids and prevents them from spoiling.
These fats have no health benefits and no amount is considered safe, leading the World Health Organisation (WHO) to call for a total worldwide ban on industrially produced trans fatty acids by 2023.
The WHO has reported that synthetic trans fats contribute to 500,000 premature deaths per year. And guess which foods these fats are usually found in?
Initially, in the early 20th century, trans fats were primarily found in solid margarines. However, as the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils became widespread, trans fats began to appear in a wide range of products, from baked goods to fast-food fries.
However, some animals can naturally produce trans fats in their stomachs, resulting in the presence of trans fats in products such as milk and meat. Artificial trans fats, known as trans fatty acids, are produced by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils, a process used by food manufacturers to extend shelf life and reduce costs.
Trans fats are often found in pastries, cakes, cookies and deep-fried foods. Baked goods that remain soft and moist on store shelves for a long time often contain trans fats because these fats remain solid at room temperature.
Consuming trans fats raises levels of harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood while lowering beneficial HDL cholesterol, leading to inflammation associated with heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
They also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin resistance. Even minimal consumption of trans fats is considered dangerous, as 2% of daily calories from trans fats can increase the risk of heart disease by 23%.
2. Saturated fats
Saturated fats are those that solidify at room temperature, such as the fat of a cooled sausage, and form the basis of our general diet. Found in red meat, full-fat dairy products, cheese, coconut oil and a variety of commercially produced snacks and bakery products, these fats are called “saturated” because their carbon atom chains are completely charged with hydrogen atoms.
But are saturated fats harmful?
Consuming high amounts of these fats can increase overall cholesterol levels, especially the dangerous LDL cholesterol, leading to blockage of arteries in the heart and other areas.
As a result, most diet experts recommend keeping saturated fat intake below 10 per cent of total daily calories.
However, the exact relationship between saturated fat and heart disease has been obscured by recent studies.
One meta-analysis analysed 21 studies and concluded that there is no conclusive evidence that saturated fats directly contribute to heart disease, suggesting instead that replacing these fats with polyunsaturated fats may reduce heart disease risks.
Highly refined carbohydrates include the following:
- White bread
- Cakes and cakes
- White pasta
- Sugary cereals
- White rice
- Processed snacks such as crisps and crackers
- Soda and other sugary drinks
- Sugar and sweets
3. Healthy fats
Primarily found in vegetables, nuts, seeds and fish, healthy fats differ from saturated fats in that they have fewer hydrogen atoms attached to their carbon chains. These fats, which are liquid at room temperature, are divided into two different useful categories:
- Monounsaturated fats
- Polyunsaturated fats
For example, eating olive oil with your bread for breakfast is one way to consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Cooking a great pilaf with sesame or sunflower oil for dinner is another way to consume unsaturated fats.
These healthier fats are burned more efficiently by our bodies than saturated fats, meaning they are more likely to be used as energy rather than stored as fat. This can lead to burning more calories. When you eat certain fats, some are more likely to be stored as body fat rather than used for energy. How quickly a fat is converted into energy can be checked by looking at how quickly it is broken down after you eat it. Some fats, such as those found in coconut oil and olive oil, are broken down and used for energy faster than fats found in palm oil and animal fats.
Monounsaturated fats
These fats have a unique structure with a double bond between carbon atoms, making them less hydrogenated than saturated fats and maintaining their liquid state at room temperature.
Olive oil, avocados, seeds and nuts, known for their heart health benefits, are excellent examples of monounsaturated fat sources.
Although there is no specific recommended daily intake, it is recommended to favour these fats along with polyunsaturated fats over saturated and trans fats.
Polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats are essential fats, meaning that our body cannot produce them on its own, so they must be obtained through the diet. They are known for being liquid at room temperature and remain liquid when cooled.
Structurally, polyunsaturated fats have more than one double bond in their carbon chains, which indicates the “poly” unsaturation in their name. This structural feature makes them more flexible and fluid compared to saturated fats, which have no double bonds and are solid at room temperature.
There are two main families of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs):
Omega-3 fatty acids: These fats are essential for brain function, normal growth and development, and quality of vision. They can also reduce inflammation and are linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Sources of omega-3 include oily fish salmon, mackerel and sardines.
Omega-6 fatty acids: Although essential, omega-6 fats are more abundant in the modern diet than omega-3 fatty acids and are found in many vegetable oils (such as corn, soya bean and sunflower oil), nuts and seeds. They are also important for brain function and normal growth and development, but a high intake of omega-6s compared to omega-3s can contribute to inflammation and associated health problems.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid), play a vital role in the healthy functioning of your body and your long-term health. These essential fatty acids play critical roles in many vital processes, from brain function to heart health, eye health to the control of inflammation. Adequate intake of DHA and EPA not only protects your overall health, but also positively affects the aging process in the long term by improving your quality of life.
DHA is particularly important for brain development and cognitive functions and plays an important role in the structural integrity of the brain. DHA is also essential for eye health and the proper functioning of the nervous system. EPA is known for its anti-inflammatory effects and has a particularly favourable effect on cardiovascular health. EPA has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke by reducing inflammation.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been extensively studied for their various health benefits. Omega-3 deficiency can lead to serious health problems later in life. These essential nutrients are crucial for brain development and survival in people of all ages, cognitive function, eye health, cardiovascular health and your metabolism. The ideal omega-3 ratio should be at least 8% of the other fats in your body. However, more than 90% of the population is deficient in omega-3.
Signs that indicate your omega-3 deficiency:
Certain lifestyles or diets, especially those rich in red meat or low in healthy fats, can lead to Omega-3 deficiency. If you experience many of the following, you may need to reassess your Omega-3 intake:
- Brittle nails, lifeless hair or dry skin
- Constant fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Joint pain
- Insomnia
- Problems with attention, learning or short-term memory
- Depression, anxiety, aggressive behaviour, anger or suicidal thoughts
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Long-term deficiencies can lead to serious health problems such as heart problems and high cholesterol, cognitive decline and memory loss.
In conclusion, not all fats are the enemy. Fats play a vital role in a nutritious diet. Choose foods rich in “good” fats, i.e. unsaturated fats, limit those high in saturated fats, and eliminate “bad” fats, i.e. trans fats, from your diet.
Instead of focusing solely on reducing fat intake, prioritise consuming beneficial “good” fats while avoiding harmful “bad” fats.
“Good” unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, can reduce the risk of chronic disease and benefit your health. Sources of these healthy fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soya and corn oil), raw nuts, healthy seeds and fish.
“Bad” trans fats, even in small amounts, can increase the risk of disease. These fats are mostly found in processed foods that use partially hydrogenated oil.
Saturated fats are not as harmful as trans fats, but they can still negatively affect your health compared to unsaturated fats and should be consumed in small amounts. Foods high in saturated fats include red meat, butter, cheese and ice cream, as well as some plant-based oils such as coconut and palm oil.
Reducing the consumption of products such as red meat and butter, while at the same time replacing refined carbohydrates with healthier options such as fish, beans, nuts and healthy fats will create a balanced and healthy diet.
While some fats in vegetable oils (Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats) can contribute to weight gain, Omega-3 fats from natural sources help to protect against weight gain, and in addition, adequate doses of omega-3 can significantly improve your health.
The right choice of healthy fats is one of the cornerstones of healthy living and longevity. At Longevicals, we use our knowledge of fats to support healthy ageing and promote health at the cellular level.
We know how important fats are for our bodies; however, it is important to choose the right fats and make these choices in the right quantities. Longevicals aims to strengthen the body’s natural systems and protect against the root causes of ageing by offering scientifically supported premium food supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, support brain, eye and heart health, as well as reducing inflammation and helping to live a healthier and longer life.
Our Omega-3 supplements, nuaEPA and nuaDHA, are manufactured with the highest purity and efficacy. As Longevicals, we not only offer the best for your health, but also accompany you on your journey to maintain your health with our slogan ‘Youth Beyond Time’. With our scientifically formulated products, it is now possible to slow down the ageing process and live a longer, healthier life.
Try Longevicals products to support your health and longevity goals and preserve your youth for years to come. Don’t forget to subscribe to our regular newsletter to receive regular updates on the latest research, new products and healthy living tips and to join the ‘Longevity Community’!
