Fat supplies us with energy and transports nutrients. Adults require only about 5% of their diet to consist of fat, whereas children require nearly 30% of their diet to consist of fat.
Many people assume that all types of fat are the same and that they all result in negative effects, but this is simply not true - there are good fats!
Some fats (omega-6 and omega-3) are called essential fats, they only come from the foods we eat. These fats are also referred to as 'Fatty Acids' and are required to allow the body to function normally.
The fats that are generally bad for the human body are saturated fats. These fats are usually found in processed or packaged foods. The word kind of saturated fat is called trans fatty acid (chemically altered or processed fats). Trans fatty acids are formed through the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils and has been linked to an increased risk of Coronary Heart Disease.
Coronary Heart Disease describes the condition when the blood supply to your heart is blocked or interrupted by the build up of fatty substances in the coronary artery. If the coronary artery becomes completely blocked, it can cause a myocardial infarction.
The total recommended intake of fat for an adult in a day, based on a calorie intake of 2000, is 65g. However, only 20g of those 65g are saturated fats. Examples of foods high in saturated fats are: cream, cheese, butter, lard, fatty meats, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, palm kernel oil and chocolate.
Saturated fats have been associated with many other diseases, other than coronary heart disease, for example: Dyslipidemia (an abnormal amount of fat in the blood), Breast Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Small Intestine Cancer etc. But these can be avoided through changes in diet.
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