Information On Obesity & Fatty Foods

A diet that is high in fat is dangerous to your health. Eating too much fat is related to high body weight and obesity, and doing so increases your risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and even dementia. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's Healthy People campaign, say Americans eat too much fat. Obesity can be directly related to the consumption of fatty foods.

Dangers of Fatty Foods

What makes fatty foods dangerous is their level of saturated or trans fats, which can raise your cholesterol and lead to heart disease. Beef, shellfish, chicken and turkey with skin, coconut and palm oil and whole-milk dairy contain saturated fat. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, you don't need any saturated fat because your body makes all it needs. Trans fats are even worse. You'll find them in processed snack foods, shortening, margarine and many fast-food items such as french fries. In addition to obesity, having too much fat in your diet has also been associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, leptin resistance, intestinal inflammation, digestive disorders, fatty liver and liver disease.

Obesity in America

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that American society is "obesogenic," meaning your environment may promote overeating unhealthy food. About 33.8 percent of Americans are obese and nearly one-third of children older than age 2 are overweight or obese. There are complex reasons for the obesity epidemic, and high dietary fat plays a big part. Fatty foods can be addictive, tripping the pleasure sensors in your brain the same way it would if you had taken heroin or cocaine. Like other addictions, you may need to eat more to get the same sense of pleasure.

Does Fat in Equal Fat Out?

Fat is a nutrient your body uses to build nerve tissue, help with vitamin absorption and assist in hormone production and regulation. Fat is also a source of energy. If the fat you eat doesn't get used for any of these purposes, or you eat more than what your body needs, your body will hang on to the fat and store it in fat cells. Your body will also do this with other excess nutrients, including carbohydrates. Eating excessively promotes the storage of fat. Fat, especially saturated and trans fats, more easily converts for fat storage. Scientists think this is because the body knows there might be times when you won't eat enough to maintain these body processes because of food shortages or starvation dieting.

Reduce Fat Intake

All the fat you eat should comprise no more than 30 percent of all calories you eat daily, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. No more than 10 percent of your fat calories should come from saturated fats. Different rules apply for diabetics and people with other conditions, as well as for toddlers and pre-schoolers, so you should ask your health care provider about your fat intake. You can help yourself avoid fatty foods by paying close attention to nutrition labels on packaged foods. Exercise, including aerobics and muscle-strengthening, can promote fat loss and help reduce overweight.

Good Fat

Some fats are healthy and a needed part of your diet. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that most of your fat calories come from healthy fats such as mono- and polyunsaturated fats. They help improve cholesterol, reduce inflammation and stabilize heart rhythms. You'll find them in avocados, nuts and peanut butter, sesame and pumpkin seeds and olive and canola oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats found --- in salmon, tuna, nuts and some oils --- are called essential fatty acids because they are the only kind of fat your body needs but can't make on its own.