Fat is important for many body processes. You need to eat some fat in your diet. Fat protects your organs, keeps you warm and helps your body absorb and move nutrients around. It also helps hormone production. However, some fats are better than others and having too much of any type is not a good idea.
Dietary fats are classified by their structure. Different types of fats react differently inside the body. Saturated fats (found mostly in animal products) increase blood cholesterol, which is a risk factor in coronary heart disease. Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to lower blood cholesterol.
Dietary fats and blood cholesterol
The two types of blood cholesterol are low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
LDL is considered the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to the narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. HDL cholesterol is considered to be the ‘good’ cholesterol because it actually carries cholesterol from the blood back to the liver, where it is broken down, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Groups of fats
Each group of fats behaves differently inside the body. Dietary fat can be classified into four groups. These are:
saturated
mono-unsaturated
polyunsaturated
trans fats.
Saturated, mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
Saturated fats contribute to the risk of heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels. These fats are commonly found in many takeaway (‘fast’) foods, in commercial products such as biscuits and pastries, and in dairy products.
Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats both tend to lower blood cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet. Polyunsaturated fats have a slightly greater impact than mono-unsaturated fats.
Replace saturated fats in your diet with either mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats whenever possible. For example, replace butter in some cooked dishes with olive oil or margarine.
Trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids are rare in nature. They are only created in the rumen of cows and sheep, and are naturally found in small amounts in milk, cheese, beef and lamb. Trans fatty acids are also created during the manufacture of some table margarines and in solid spreads used in the food industry to make baked products such as pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits and buns.
Trans fatty acids tend to behave like saturated fats in the body, as they raise LDL levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Unlike saturated fats, they tend to lower HDL cholesterol, so are potentially even more damaging.
It is the trans fats that are produced during food manufacturing that you should be most concerned about, not the trans fats present naturally in certain foods. Look for margarines that have less than one per cent trans fats on the label or choose foods with the Heart Foundation Tick. Limit how much takeaway food and packaged snack foods you eat.
Fat is important for many body processes. You need to eat some fat in your diet. Fat protects your organs, keeps you warm and helps your body absorb and move nutrients around. It also helps hormone production. However, some fats are better than others and having too much of any type is not a good idea.
Dietary fats are classified by their structure. Different types of fats react differently inside the body. Saturated fats (found mostly in animal products) increase blood cholesterol, which is a risk factor in coronary heart disease. Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to lower blood cholesterol.
Dietary fats and blood cholesterol
The two types of blood cholesterol are low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
LDL is considered the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to the narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. HDL cholesterol is considered to be the ‘good’ cholesterol because it actually carries cholesterol from the blood back to the liver, where it is broken down, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Groups of fats
Each group of fats behaves differently inside the body. Dietary fat can be classified into four groups. These are:
saturated
mono-unsaturated
polyunsaturated
trans fats.
Saturated, mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
Saturated fats contribute to the risk of heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels. These fats are commonly found in many takeaway (‘fast’) foods, in commercial products such as biscuits and pastries, and in dairy products.
Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats both tend to lower blood cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet. Polyunsaturated fats have a slightly greater impact than mono-unsaturated fats.
Replace saturated fats in your diet with either mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated fats whenever possible. For example, replace butter in some cooked dishes with olive oil or margarine.
Trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids are rare in nature. They are only created in the rumen of cows and sheep, and are naturally found in small amounts in milk, cheese, beef and lamb. Trans fatty acids are also created during the manufacture of some table margarines and in solid spreads used in the food industry to make baked products such as pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits and buns.
Trans fatty acids tend to behave like saturated fats in the body, as they raise LDL levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Unlike saturated fats, they tend to lower HDL cholesterol, so are potentially even more damaging.
It is the trans fats that are produced during food manufacturing that you should be most concerned about, not the trans fats present naturally in certain foods. Look for margarines that have less than one per cent trans fats on the label or choose foods with the Heart Foundation Tick. Limit how much takeaway food and packaged snack foods you eat.
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