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Dietary Fats: Good and Bad

Posted Jan 08 2010 7:23am

There are a lot of fats in our foods these days and some cause us cancer and heart disease, but others can help us ward off illness, live longer, and feel better.

The Good about Fats:

Supplies body with essential fatty acids -EFA's (i.e. alpha-linoleic acid).
Transports fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) around the body.
Helps maintain healthy skin, and important in brain and eyesight development in children.
Omega-3 fats are linked to good heart health, as well as low triglycerides, reduced risk of blood clot and low heart rate.
Unsaturated fats can lower your risk for heart disease.

The Bad:

Well-established link with heart disease and stroke.
Trans fat linked to multiple cancers.
Trans and Saturated fats contribute to high cholesterol.
Even keeping your fat consumption to less than 15% of total cal/day, may not prevent artery-clogging.*
All fats contain 9 calories/gram (compare to 4 cal for protein and carbs).
Saturated fat should be <>
Eliminating trans fats could prevent >250,000 heart attacks & deaths/year.**
By law, foods labeled "trans fat-free" are allowed to contain up to 1/2 gram/serving.

What to Do:

*Determine your daily caloric intake HERE

*American Heart Association recommends 20-35% of total calories/day come from fats.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/nutrition-labels-9/good-fats-bad-fats

** http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/nu00262