Dietary fats are often associated with heart disease and cancer, leading to their negative reputation. However, the role of dietary fat in health and disease is intricate and not always entirely warranted.
Certain fats are crucial for proper growth and maintaining good health, and their deficiency can result in specific diseases related to nutritional inadequacies.
Consuming excessive amounts of certain types of fats can significantly raise the risk of chronic and severe illnesses. Diets high in saturated fats or trans fats are linked to an increased likelihood of heart and artery diseases, which are the leading causes of mortality among adults in the United States and Canada.
Obesity poses significant health risks, and the high energy density of fatty foods makes it easy for people to consume more calories than needed and gain unnecessary weight.
High-fat diets indirectly correlate with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Both conditions can strain the circulatory system, and a fat-rich diet may further hinder circulatory function through the potential development of atherosclerosis.
Triglycerides and cholesterol are the essential lipids present in our food supply. Despite their distinct chemical properties, they share the characteristic of being insoluble in water.
Triglycerides, known by various names such as fat, oil, grease, shortening, lard, tallow, suet, and ghee, are transported to fat depots in the body like muscles, breasts, and the insulating fat layer under the skin, where fat cells store them for later use.
When the body's fuel from food diminishes, it begins to utilize these stored fats for energy.
Cholesterol, another dietary lipid, exclusively exists in animal products and is absent in the plant kingdom. Since the body produces adequate cholesterol, it is not considered an essential nutrient. The liver synthesizes, regulates its release into the bloodstream, and retrieves it as needed.
Unlike triglycerides, cholesterol does not serve as an energy source, but it plays a crucial role as a structural component in every cell of the body. The study of dietary cholesterol primarily focuses on its potential link to intestinal cancer, and although data inconsistency exists, most evidence suggests a possible connection between dietary cholesterol and colon tumor development.
Fats and Health Complications
