I looked up too much discussions about low or moderate fat subjects, but can’t find any scientifical explanation about essential fat acids. Are they usable from body fat or must we take fat daily? I need an explanation about fat metabolism for a healthy person.
You must eat fat.
It is essential- that’s why they are essential fatty acids.
The walls of every cell in your body are made with EFAs- they impact every metabolic process in your body.
You must ingest them- metabolized body fat is not the same thing.
Here is a great book on the topic that is easily readable and makes it all clear. Not just about healthy fats but nutrition in general.
Consuming essential fatty acids is essential; consuming fats daily is not essential.
Essential means the body cannot synthesize it, so fat stores cannot substitute for intake. What this means is that certain specific fatty acid precursors must be consumed that can be used by the body directly or after further modification.
On omega-3s specifically, there’s quite a bit of confusion on this matter. First of all, the usefulness of ALA is underappreciated, as is its conversion to EPA and DHA.
Low conversion rates does not deficiency make. It seems unlikely evolution would arrive at an efficiency that produced deficiency and poor survival, especially considering not all populations would have had ready access to fish.
Further, the evidence on EPA and DHA is weak, while stronger for the benefit of ALA.
ALA is most abundant in flaxseed and chia seed. Fiber and no heavy metals to boot.
Dietician here, yes it’s necessary.Fats (lipids) help in the absorption of vitamins (A, D, E, K), production of hormones, cellular function, maintenance of body temperature and protection of organs, to name a few. The recommended amount of fat intake for adults (according to the DRI) is 20 to 35% of total Kcal intake.
Fun fact: The only macronutrient you can have very low on a diet, without detrimental side effects, is carbohydrates. But still, a balanced diet is essential for a healthy living.
Eating fat daily is actually required for a body to function normally. Essential fat acids are responsible ( beside other functions ) for correct micro nutrient absorption and for hormones production in a body.
Some of the micro nutrients are solvable only in fat and fat intake is therefore a necessity.Also very good example is female body - when female losses menstruation cycle ( when going vegan for example) in I would say 80% its due to fact that person wont consume enough fat.
Fat intake has nothing to do with person being obese/ fat or skinny. Its about a natural hormone production.
edit for vegans: I am not talking about people who know how to eat correctly as vegans, and know how to set macro + micro nutrients and balance their diet.
A low fat diet is a recipe for inbalanced hormonal production. If you enjoy having low testosterone then by all means reduce your fat intake.
Look up “rabbit starvation” and you will see how low levels of fat intake can be extremely dangerous.
You don’t have to consume fat daily if you have ample fat stores but it would probably be healthier to just reduce fat intake instead of trying to go to zero. The essential fatty acid concept was wrong though - they didn’t account for vitamin deficiencies in those studies by the Burrs.
Yes, but you don’t need to eat much. Try to make sure the foods you eat have high proportions of omega 3s (walnuts, flax seed, chia seed, fish, seaweed) since those are often a concern in modern diets. Omega 6 are a lot easier to get.
I’m commenting here because I’m on mobile, but I’ll post a study explaining the usefulness of fat and low carb diets in reducing body fat. Fat serves an important function, not just as essential fatty acids, but also for feelings of satiety/managing hunger, blood sugar, etc.
HOLY CRAP YES.
Please don’t conflate dietary fats with adipose tissue in your body; that’s a real short road to some nasty health outcomes. You need to consume the chemical nutrients in dietary fats for things like hormone regulation, vitamin and mineral levels, hair/skin/nail health, and others that I’m not remembering. I understand that for most people, around 20% of daily calorie intake should come from mostly monounsaturated fats, trying to minimize trans and saturated in the process.
there’s a difference between kinds of fats and how your body holds onto fat. Certain people of certain ethnic groups hold fat in different areas of their body because ancestry these individuals experience a lot of food scarcity.
the human body doesn’t create omega-3‘s and certain fatty acids and those are the ones that you need to consume in daily supplements or meals. talk to your doctor about the recommended amount that is best for you. you can find fatty acids in supplements that come in different forms and some forms can be harder for your body to break down and process.
list of food with fatty acids ( you can find a more complete list online or with your doctor)
sunflower oilOlive oilavocadosalmonhempseedSunflower seedskidney beansflaxseedwinter squashespecansome berries (blueberries)and grape leaves
Many good points already made. I’ll add that there is a lot of research suggesting that low-fat diets have poor adherence over the long-term. Meaning, even if we didn’t “need” the fats in our diets, it is very difficult to exclude it from our diets for very long.
the energy metabolism might not need fat, but im not too shure.
BUT! you fat or fatty acids play a VERY important role in your body.
fatty acids main job is cell protection / building cell membranes.
There are essential fats and proteins but you never hear of essential carbs.
Not only is fat important for absorbing vitamins such as vitamin D, but it’s vital to our endocrine systems.
I would only avoid fat on fasting days a few times a year.
Our brains are 60% fat. We definitely need essential fatty acids. If you search online there are many articles about EPA, DHA and ALA and how our bodies need them.
It drives me crazy to see so much low fat food in the grocery stores. And I just read how the government wants to changes school lunches to include “low fat” flavored milk. Come on! Our kids need whole milk for their development.
Plus, when the fat is removed it’s replaced by sugar.
And fat does not make one fat. Sugar does!