Is fat unconditionally harmful to the body?
Contrary to the perception that fat is bad, it can actually be beneficial to health if used properly. It helps the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and the function of each cell and protects organs in the body. If you eat a lot of fat, which is 9Kcal per 1g, you will gain weight, but fat is one of the three essential nutrients for our body.
Fats can be divided into saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids according to their chemical structure. Saturated fatty acids are made up of single carbon atoms, and unsaturated fatty acids are double bonds. Saturated fatty acids have a high melting point and are mostly solid at room temperature. Beef, pork, butter, cakes, ice cream, hamburgers, ramen, etc. are a lot.
On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acids have a low melting point and are in liquid form at room temperature, and are abundant in vegetable oils such as olive oil, canola oil, and perilla oil, as well as blue-backed fish, anchovies, and seaweed. However, coconut oil, palm oil, and margarine are vegetable oils, but they contain a lot of saturated fatty acids.
Saturated fatty acids, also known as bad fats, increase the risk of obesity, hyperlipidemia, and high blood pressure. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in the United States, 1 million participants and 200,000 deaths were analyzed and saturated fat was found to be associated with heart disease and cancer. As a result of a meta-analysis study conducted in 2018, it was found that eating a lot of saturated fat significantly increased the risk of cognitive impairment.
Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats, called good fats, are beneficial to cardiovascular disease and brain health. It plays the role of cleaning blood vessels and prevents various inflammations. According to the American College of Cardiology, even if you eat the same amount of fat, when you eat unsaturated fatty acids instead of saturated fatty acids, blood triglycerides and bad cholesterol levels are lowered.
Saturated fatty acids are not a big problem when eaten by healthy people, but those who have already accumulated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol should be careful. A study published in Diabetes Care found that overweight people who ate a lot of saturated fat were more likely to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
According to the Korean Nutrient Intake Standards of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, saturated fatty acids should be consumed at less than 7% of total energy for adults. If a person needs 2000Kcal of energy per day, saturated fatty acids should be consumed within 140Kcal. The optimal percentage of fat is 15-30% of total energy. It is wise to reduce saturated fatty acids and supplement them with unsaturated fatty acids.