Briefly, fats are lipids. They are sometimes referred to as fat, lipids, fatty acids or triglycerides. Though they may be technically different, people often use the terms interchangeably.
Fatty acids are composed of chains of carbon atoms, usually sixteen to eighteen in number but ranging between two and twenty. If carbon a carbon atom is bound to its maximum number of hydrogens, it is said to be saturated. If two joined carbon atoms can bind on additional hydrogens, the fat is said to be monounsaturated. If more than one hydrogen atom can be accepted, the fat is polyunsaturated. Linoleic acid in safflower oil is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Oleic acid in canola and olive oils is a monounsaturated fatty acid.
As with some amino acids, some fats are essential to life. These are called “essential fatty acids” and must be consumed in the diet. Without a sufficient supply of these essential fatty acids you become malnutritioned and eventually die. (NOTE: There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate)
Fats serve a number of functions in the body:
· structural components of membranes
· storage and transport of energy
· protective functions
· regulators of hormones (steroids)
· precursors to vitamins
A fat’s structural properties (number of carbons, amount of saturation, etc) determine how it is used and how it affects the physiology of the body.
Sources of fat in the diet include animal products (meat, milk, eggs), vegetables (avocados, olives) and seeds/nuts. The food industry also alters the structure of naturally occurring fats to give them unique properties when added to processed foods. These are often referred to as trans-fatty acids and/or partially hydrogenated oils. These fats are bad for your health not only because they are often combined with sugar, but also because the type of saturation seems to make them especially unhealthy.
Bodybuilders and other fitness enthusiasts are often interested in fish oil, flax oil, and CLA. Most people and supplement companies have no idea why these are good fats, outside of their mystical ability to fight certain diseases such as heart disease. Some know that CLA given in certain amounts allows rats to lose weight rapidly, but they don’t understand why…they feel they don’t have to as long as people are buying it.
The real reason we seek after these fats is because of their affects on fat cells. Once incorporated into fat cells, either as part of the membrane or stored as triglyceride, they are able to make the fat cell more apt to release fat, and resist replacing it. Those fats best at doing this are CLA, fish oil, and to a lesser degree, flax oil.
Oh...must be the excellent source of EFAs that makes me crave fries on sunday mornings (or...early afternoon)