Types of Dietary Fat
The “Skinny” on Dietary Fat

Along with protein and carbohydrates, fats are one of the main nutrients that nourish our bodies. The different types of dietary fat that we eat come from either animal sources, which includes dairy products, or plant sources.

You can get a good idea of the importance of dietary fat from this list of some of things it does for the body:

• Fat is a component of all cell structure, including having a protective function for the skin


• Fat absorbs, stores and transports certain vitamins


• It helps to insulate nerves and improves nerve function


• Fat combines with proteins to make certain hormones in the body


• It protects the organs and insulates the body


• Fat provides energy to the body along with carbohydrates

As a matter of fact, fat is composed of the exact same elements as carbohydrates (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) but in a different structure.

Insufficient amounts of dietary fat can contribute to health problems including:

• Dry, scaly skin


• Dry, dull hair or hair loss


• Bruising


• Poor growth


• Lower resistance to colds and infections


• Poor wound healing


• Mood problems, depression, lack of focus

Fat digestion: Fatty acids

Just so ya know! What's an "acid?" "Acid" is the name for a kind of chemical compound with certain characteristics. They're called "acids" because when they are dissolved in water, they have a "bite" or sour taste. Now you know some chemistry lingo!

Fats break down into substances called fatty acids. There are essential fatty acids and non-essential fatty acids.

Essential fatty acids need to come from our diets because they cannot be made by the body. You’ll hear these referred to as "EFAs."

The non-essential fatty acids are just as important, but can be made by the body.

There are 3 types of natural fatty acids:

• Saturated fatty acids


• Monounsaturated fatty acids


• Polyunsaturated fatty acids

(These are commonly referred to as simply "fats" instead of fatty acids.)

The word "saturated" essentially means "completely full." The different types of dietary fat are called "saturated" or "unsaturated" based on their chemical structure and whether they can add more stuff or not.

Most food has some combination of these types of dietary fat.

Saturated fatty acids come mainly from animal fats. Meats, whole-milk dairy products - like cheese and ice cream - and egg yolks are the main sources of saturated fatty acids. You find such micronutrients as Vitamin A (riboflavin) in this type of fatty acid.

Monounsaturated fatty acids come from plants. Olives and olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, cashews, almonds, peanuts, most other nuts and avocados are sources of monounsaturated fats.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids also come from plants and are plentiful in many vegetable and nut oils. Sunflower, corn, flax seed and soybean oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats, as are certain kinds of fish like salmon or tuna.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are divided into two sub-groups:

• omega-6 fatty acids and
• omega-3 fatty acids

which are both essential fatty acids because they cannot be synthesized by the body.

When you hear about the health benefits of fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements, these particular "EFAs" (essential fatty acids), are what is being talked about.

In diets that contains a lot of processed food, these essential nutrients are deficient and create physical and mental problems.

Trans fats

"Trans" fats are artificially made by taking unsaturated vegetable oil, which is usually very healthy, and adding hydrogen atoms to it so it will last longer. This is called "hydrogenation." Trans fats are found in processed foods such as:

• commercially prepared baked goods and fried foods, like French fries and onion rings


• margarines


• snack foods


• processed foods

"Good" fats, "bad" fats

Different types of dietary fat have certain effects on the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. That's how they get the label "good" or "bad."

The types of dietary fat from plants - monounsaturated and polyunsaturated - are considered "good" fats because they affect cholesterol levels in the blood in a positive way.

Saturated fats tend to increase the kind of cholesterol that can stick to your blood vessel walls if there's more than the body really needs, so it is called "bad." Saturated fat isn't completely "bad" in reasonable amounts.

About 10% of a person's daily calorie needs could come from saturated fats, with 30% total of daily energy (calorie) requirements coming from the different types of dietary fat.

Trans fats lower the "good" kind of cholesterol and increase the "bad" kind of cholesterol. It's best to work on completely replacing trans fats in your diet with the other types of dietary fat, especially unsaturated fats.

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These different types of dietary fat are listed on the nutrition labels of processed foods.

For more information on the different types of dietary fat and some very enlightening information on the relationships of fats and cholesterol to heart disease and cancer, check out this great article from the Harvard School of Public Health: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.html

It is written in a very easy and understandable style and has a considerable amount of current information, based on research, about the different types of dietary fat and their effect on health!

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