BOX 4 • FATS, FATTY ACIDS AND CHOLESTEROL
Fats and oils provide a concentrated source of energy and the essential fatty acids needed for growth and health. They aid the absorption of some vitamins such as vitamin A and improve the taste of meals. Some fatty/oily foods contain important vitamins.
Fats and oils contain different ‘fat-nutrients’. These include unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids and cholesterol.
Unsaturated fatty acids
Two of the unsaturated fatty acids are called ‘essential fatty acids’ because the body cannot make them. They are needed for building cells, especially the cells of the brain and nervous system. Unsaturated fatty acids contain a group called ‘omega-3 fatty acids’, which help to protect the body from heart disease.