Fat facts...everything you need to know

For many people, the word fat is an annoying and sometimes disgusting word, but in fact fats are an important nutritional element, as is the case for proteins and carbohydrates. Among the important benefits of fats are:

It is considered one of the concentrated sources of energy, as it provides us with 9 kilocalories/gram, while carbohydrates and proteins provide us with 4 kilocalories/gram.

Fats provide us with essential fatty acids (which the body cannot synthesize and must be ingested through food), such as linolenic acid, which plays an important role in the growth of children.

• Fats are important for skin health
• Important for regulating the level of cholesterol in the body
• Important for the production of some hormone-like compounds such as prostglandins, which play an important role in regulating some vital activities in the body.
• Fat is an important source of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K, and it is also important to help absorb these vitamins from the intestines.
• Fat helps the body to make the most of carbohydrates and protein utilization.
• The body converts fat into energy for it to benefit from, and the excess is stored in fatty tissues.
• Some fats are present in the blood, and the majority of them are stored in fat cells. 
• These fatty gatherings are not only important in storing energy, but they are important in isolating the body and acting as a supportive cushion for the internal organs, thus maintaining body temperature and absorbing shocks.

Fats are made up of three basic elements - just as carbohydrates are - carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but fats contain more carbon, hydrogen and less oxygen than carbohydrates, and as a result of this difference, fats provide us with more energy (9 kcal/gram of fat) than carbohydrates and proteins ( 4 kcal/g of carbohydrates).

The bulk of the fat gives when it is decomposed three molecules of fatty acids and one molecule of glycerol, and that is why fats are known as triglycerides. Fats are made up of different types of fatty acids. These fatty acids are classified into three main categories: saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These previous classifications describe the number of hydrogen atoms present on the fatty acid chain.

In general, we can say that fats containing a high percentage of saturated fatty acids are solid at room temperature, while fats containing a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperature and are called oils.

From a technical point of view, cholesterol is not considered a fat, but it is considered to be similar to fats. It is an important compound for the body of an organism as it is present in the walls of all cells, and it is also important for the production of bile.

But, what is the relationship of fats and cholesterol to coronary heart disease?

It has become clear beyond any doubt that the increase in the amount of fat in the consuming diets is an important factor affecting the occurrence and development of chronic diseases. Studies indicate that saturated fatty acids play an important role in raising the level of cholesterol in the blood, which poses a risk of coronary heart disease. The increase in the amount of cholesterol in the blood leads to its accumulation on the walls of the blood vessels, and with the passage of time, narrowing of the blood vessels occurs, resulting in atherosclerosis, which leads to a decrease in the amount of blood flowing through the vessels.

Food is one of the factors leading to a high level of cholesterol in the blood, and many experts believe that the effect of food on high blood cholesterol is complex, and goes beyond just the content of foods from cholesterol and fatty acids. Through clinical trials, the following factors were considered as variables that can affect the effect of diets on the level of cholesterol in the blood:

• Eating habits
• The degree of response to diets
• cholesterol level
• Meal ingredients

In some people, heredity plays a greater role in influencing the level of cholesterol in the blood than the diets they eat, meaning that regardless of the amount of fat and cholesterol in the diets eaten, their bodies will produce high amounts of cholesterol that can cause heart attacks. Scientists may one day be able to identify the gene responsible for producing cholesterol in large quantities in these people.

Other factors that affect the level of cholesterol in the blood that are out of control include:

• Age
• dynasty
• and sex

However, there are many factors that we can control to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood and to protect against many heart diseases, such as:

• Not smoking cigarettes
• Control of high blood pressure
• Maintaining an appropriate weight
• Keep doing some sports
• Control of nervous stress
• For people with diabetes, controlling the blood sugar level is very important

Cholesterol is transported in the blood by compounds called lipoproteins (consisting of protein and fat) and these compounds are very important as the level of total cholesterol in the blood reflects the level of three types of lipoproteins: very low density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins and this type is associated with most Cholesterol in the blood, and finally, high-density lipoproteins. It has become clear that low-density proteins are responsible for the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels.

In contrast to low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins are very useful, as studies show that the higher the amount of this type of protein in the blood, the lower the chances of coronary heart disease. High-density lipoproteins carry cholesterol from the blood to the liver, where the cholesterol is broken down and excreted with bile secreted by the gallbladder.

The concentration of low-density lipoproteins is the main expression of the actual cholesterol concentration, but since most of the cholesterol in the blood is bound with LDL, we can consider that the total cholesterol concentration is an expression of the actual cholesterol concentration.

The normal concentration of cholesterol in the blood ranges from 150 to 200 mg per 100 milliliters, and with age, it may rise to 300 mg or more, and it can be said that if the cholesterol level exceeds 225 mg, the chance of heart disease will increase.

As a treatment for high blood cholesterol, experts advise to resort to diets designed to reduce the intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, in addition to reducing weight for those who suffer from excess weight.

At the beginning of the implementation of the diet program, it is suggested that the amount of fat does not exceed 30% of the total energy, that saturated fats do not exceed 10% of the total energy, and that cholesterol does not exceed 300 mg per day.

If the previous program did not succeed within six months in reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood, fats are reduced further, saturated fats to 7% of total energy and cholesterol to 200 mg or less per day. If the level of cholesterol does not decrease with the diet, treatment is carried out with medicines in addition to continuing with the diet.

Sources of fat and cholesterol:

Food products from animal sources such as red meat, chicken, fish, milk and milk products and eggs are the main source of fat (58% of total fat intake) and saturated fat (75% of saturated fat intake). These days, reliance on vegetable oils such as soybean oil and sunflower oil has increased.....

In addition to the previous sources, there are mayonnaise, butter, ghee, cheese, pies and pastries, and some types of sauces.

As for the sources of cholesterol, it is found in all animal foods, and it is present in large quantities in the internal organs of animals and in the yolk of eggs. The vegetable oils and fats are cholesterol-free. 

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