Fats
This week I am going to try and keep this article a little shorter than the others. I’ll be giving you the basic information on fats. I really want to exaggerate in this article that fats are NOT the enemy. If you were of the school of thought that carbs are good then you probably thought fats were bad. In actuality, neither are generally good or bad. Whether they are good or bad for you completely depends on what you specifically need from a health or performance perspective.
So, what are fats?
Fats are complex macronutrient that contains a dense 9 kcals per gram. Fats go by many names including: fatty acids, lipids, and triglycerides. Fats are essential for bodily function, and are critical components in producing hormones, transferring micronutrients, and producing energy for the body. Our body is able to produce most fats (excluding omega 3 and omega six fatty acids) it needs from other macronutrients. Fats are made up of a glycerol molecule and three fatty acid chains bonded together, cue the name “triglyceride”. The absorption of fats through digestion is much more active than carbs and takes a longer time to digest. As a result, fats slow down the digestion process and reduce insulin spikes.
Just like carbs, all fats are not created equal.
This might be shocker: the fat coming from a steak is completely different from the fat found in vegetable oils. Fats from different sources have a different chemical structure and that greatly impacts how your body responds to it. There are three main categories of fats; unsaturated, saturated, and trans fats. Unsaturated and saturated fats are your natural fats. Saturated fats get their name from their fatty acid chains being completely “saturated” or full of hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated fats are not completely saturated with hydrogen and as a result have a double bond between carbon molecules(see image below). Trans fats are unsaturated fats that are turned into saturated fats due to food processing. Why does this matter? To keep me from going down a rabbit hole about the chemical structure of fatty acids, I’ll just say that the different structure causes unsaturated fats to be liquid at room temperature and saturated fats to usually be solid at room temperature as well as various other properties.
Unsaturated fats are generally considered your “healthy” fats. Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated (multiple double bonds), monounsaturated (one double bond), omega-3, and omega-6 fats. Polyunsaturated fats are commonly found in nuts, seed oils, and fish. Omega-3 and omega-6 are variations of polyunsaturated fats that are most commonly found in fatty fish like salmon. Monounsaturated fats are found in nuts, seed oils, and avocados. These fats have been associated with improving blood cholesterol levels, lowering inflammation, and improving heart health.
Saturated fats have been given a less favorable reputation as an “unhealthy” fat. Research from the mid 1900’s found a correlation between saturated fats and poor health. However, more recent research shows that the relationship between saturated fats and poor health is much more complicated. Either way, the common consensus from the FDA and American Health Association is to limit saturated fat intake in favor of more unsaturated fats. Your saturated fats are commonly found in animal products (fatty meat and dairy) and coconuts.
Trans fats also have a bad reputation as an “unhealthy” fat. Unlike saturated fats, trans fats might deserve their reputation. A stronger positive correlation has repeatedly been found between trans fat consumption and heart disease, diabetes, and cancers. This is likely due to the type of foods that contain trans fats. Trans fats are used because they are cheaper than natural saturated fats and improve taste and texture compared to unsaturated fats. Trans fats are commonly found in foods like chips, margarine, and fried foods. Completely removing trans fats from a well-balanced diet is difficult. Trans fats are also found in very small portions in meat and dairy.
Fact or Fiction.
All of this talk of “unhealthy” fats makes it easy to demonize fats. This has led to a lot of misconceptions about fats. Here are a few myths I hear regularly.
Consuming dietary cholesterol leads high levels of cholesterol in the blood. -Foods that contain saturated fats (eggs, meat, and dairy) usually contain dietary cholesterol as well. Consuming cholesterol from these sources does not increase your blood cholesterol levels. Your liver will naturally produce cholesterol, and it will compensate for higher consumption of dietary cholesterol.
Working out in the “fat burning zone” is the best way to lose fat. -The ‘fat burning zone” is the heart rate range where our body burns fat as the primary source of energy (refer back to the previous newsletter for more information). If we work out at a higher intensity than the “fat burning zone”, our body will burn carbs more than fats. Working out at a greater intensity will burn more calories per minute of exercise. For the same length of workout, you will burn more calories and subsequently lose more fat at a higher intensity than the “fat burning zone”.
Foods labeled “low fat” are healthier than foods that are full fat. -When fats are artificially removed from foods, they became a lot less flavorful. As a result, food companies started to add refined sugars to their “low fat” foods to make them palatable. Foods high in refined sugars are much worse for you than full fat foods. The next time you reach for something labeled “low fat” check the sugar content or artificial sweetener content of the food.
There are two main schools of thought about fats. One group believes that fats are bad and should be limited. The other group believes fats are best thing since sliced bread and should be consumed as your primary macronutrient. Likely, the truth is somewhere in the middle. I believe that all things should be done in moderation, including moderation. Fats are no exception to that rule.
Astrup, A., Dyerberg, J., Elwood, P., Hermansen, K., Hu, F. B., Jakobsen, M. U., Kok, F. J., Krauss, R. M., Lecerf, J. M., LeGrand, P., Nestel, P., Risérus, U., Sanders, T., Sinclair, A., Stender, S., Tholstrup, T., & Willett, W. C. (2011). The role of reducing intakes of saturated fat in the prevention of cardiovascular disease: Where does the evidence stand in 2010? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 93(4), 684–688. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.110.004622
Cholesterol | Cardiac College. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.healtheuniversity.ca/EN/CardiacCollege/Eating/Fats/Pages/What-Is-Cholesterol.aspx
IAS, P. (2016, February 14). Trans Fat, Saturated & Unsaturated Fats, Healthy & Unhealthy Fats. PMF IAS. https://www.pmfias.com/fats-saturated-unsaturated-trans-fat/
Islam, M. A., Amin, M. N., Siddiqui, S. A., Hossain, M. P., Sultana, F., & Kabir, M. R. (2019). Trans fatty acids and lipid profile: A serious risk factor to cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome, 13(2), 1643–1647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2019.03.033
Lipids (article) | Macromolecules. (n.d.). Khan Academy. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/macromolecules/lipids/a/lipids
Lipids (article) | Macromolecules | Khan Academy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/macromolecules/lipids/a/lipids
Saturated Fats | Cardiac College. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.healtheuniversity.ca/EN/CardiacCollege/Eating/Fats/Pages/saturated-fats.aspx
Trans Fats | Cardiac College. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.healtheuniversity.ca/EN/CardiacCollege/Eating/Fats/Pages/trans-fats.aspx
Unsaturated Fats | Cardiac College. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.healtheuniversity.ca/EN/CardiacCollege/Eating/Fats/Pages/unsaturated-fats.aspx
What Are Fats? | Cardiac College. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.healtheuniversity.ca/EN/CardiacCollege/Eating/Fats/
ZOE Podcast: Fats and Oils — What’s the Real Story? (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://joinzoe.com/learn/podcast-fats-and-oils
