Fats are an important source of calories. Ounce for ounce, fats provide more than twice the energy of carbohydrates or proteins. For good health, fats should supply no more than 30 percent of your daily calorie intake.
Fats carry fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K into your blood. Without fats, our bodies could not use these nutrients. Fats provide essential fatty acids. The body cannot make linoleic acid, a fatty acid essential for growth and healthy skin. It must come from diet. Dietary fats offer other benefits too. Fats add flavor, and they help satisfy hunger because they take longer to digest than carbohydrates and proteins do.
Body fat. or adipose tissue, is a form of stored energy. It accumulates when people consume excess calories from any source-carbohydrates, lats. or proteins. Your bod needs some body fat. It surrounds and cushions your vital organs, protecting them from injury. The fat layer under your skin insulates your body from heat and cold.