Understanding cholesterol: Which fats are healthy are which are not
January 18, 2011 
0 Comments
Think fats are all bad? Think again. From your heart to your hair follicles, hormones to hunger control, fats perform a host of vital functions throughout the body.
We’ve all read and hear about how fat coincides with an array of health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. What many people don’t realize is that some fats are actually good for you.
Mono and polyunsaturated fats act to lower bad’ cholesterol (which increases blood pressure) and raises good’ cholesterol (which lowers blood pressure) in the blood stream.
These good fats’ also contain essential fatty acids (EFAs), which help prevent illnesses including arthritis, cancers, heart disease and immune deficiencies. EFAs are also vital for protecting the body’s organs and for carrying the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
The Department of Health recommends that fats should make up no more than 30 per cent of the total energy consumed each day.
Some fats have beneficial properties, while others can harm your health.
Glycerol is the main fatty acid that makes up fat. It can be broken down by the body for energy and is vital in the transport of fatty acids in the body.
Saturated fat is mainly found in animal products. A diet high in saturated fats raises levels of bad’ low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood.
Tran’s fats are formed during the process that solidifies liquid fat for processed foods. Like saturated fats, research suggests that Tran’s fats raise levels of LDL cholesterol while lowering levels of good’ high-density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol.
Understanding why some fats are good’ for you and why other are bad’ will help you to monitor your intake of fat, reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses.
Mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids are important for our health and well-being, helping to maintain healthy levels of blood cholesterol.
Mono-unsaturated fats help to prevent the narrowing of blood arteries and stave off heart disease. Monounsaturates are found in olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, dairy produce, fish and meat.
Polyunsaturated fats lower levels of LDL cholesterol and the most prized polyunsaturates are the essential fatty acids (EFAs), which cannot be manufactured in the body. EFAs are obtained from dietary sources such as safflower, corn, sunflower, walnut and soya bean oils.
Among EFAs are the omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of strokes, and
