Dietary Fat

Alternate Names : Fat, Fatty Acids

Overview & Description

Dietary fat is the fat that is found in food. Fat is one of four substances in food that provide calories. The other three are carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol. There are three types of natural fats found in foods. These are monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats. Most foods contain all three fats in different amounts.

The body can use all three types of fat. Dietary fat has very important functions in the body. Only a moderate amount of fat is needed for good health. Too much fat or the wrong type of fat can be harmful. A healthy diet should have more unsaturated fat than saturated fat.

Fat is the most concentrated source of calories. It provides 9 calories per gram. Carbohydrate and protein provide 4 calories per gram. Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram. So any type of fat should be used sparingly in the diet.

Information

Fats and oils are made up of basic units called fatty acids. Each type of fat or oil is a mixture of different fatty acids. Most of the fat in a person's diet should come primarily from fats that contain mostly unsaturated fatty acids. These foods can be from both plant and animal sources. They are usually liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fatty acids include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

• Fats that are mostly monounsaturated are canola, olive, and peanut oils.
  
• Fats that are mostly polyunsaturated are safflower, corn, and sunflower oils, soybeans, many nuts and seeds, and seafood.
  

Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol levels. NHLBI recommends that up to 20% of total daily calories should be monounsaturated fat. Up to 10% of total daily calories should be polyunsaturated fat. The American Heart Association recommends up to 10% of total daily calories from polyunsaturated fats and up to 15% from monounsaturated fats.

An important polyunsaturated fat is omega-3 fatty acid, which comes mostly from fish sources. Omega-3 is an essential fat, which means that the body can't make it. It must be derived from foods. Some studies suggest that omega-3 may help lower the risk for heart disease and heart attacks.

Saturated fats are considered bad fats. They come mostly from animal foods and are usually solid at room temperature. The only plant sources of saturated fats are oils made from coconut and palm. Saturated fat in the diet should be limited to no more than 8% to 10% of total calories.

Eating a lot of saturated fat may raise the carriers of bad cholesterol in the blood. These bad carriers are called low-density lipoproteins, or LDL. A high amount of LDL in the blood can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries. This can cause atherosclerosis. Having high cholesterol levels in the blood is a major risk factor for heart disease.