The United States Food and Drug Administration, referred to as the FDA, regulates the safety of food, tobacco products, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medication, dietary supplements, vaccines and medical devices. Although the FDA does not create the nutrition standards like the recommended daily fat intake, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition -- one branch of the FDA -- maintains the responsibility for food labeling, which includes the listing of nutrition facts.
Recommended Daily Fat Intake
Fat is one of the three essential macronutrients, meaning that the body needs fat in significant amounts. However, maintaining health requires consuming the three macronutrients within limited ranges. The Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board created the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges for fat, carbohydrates and protein that each person should follow to support the needs of their body and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The AMDR for fat for the average adult is 20 to 35 percent of their total daily calories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 and the FDA support this same recommendation, which can be found on nutrition labels.
Types of Fat
Only knowing to keep your daily fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of your total calories fails to provide you with all the vital information on fat. Not all fat is created equal and consuming too much of certain types of fat can lead to life-threatening conditions. The American Heart Association considers the unsaturated fats, which includes monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, as the "good" fats. These fats may help lower total blood cholesterol levels, especially when consumed in place of the "bad" fats. The "bad" fats include both saturated fat, mainly found in animal foods, and trans fat, found in processed foods.
Recommended Daily 'Good' Fat Intake
Unsaturated fats include the fats found in fish, nuts, seeds and plant oils. This type of fat should account for the majority of your total daily fat intake. This type of fat supports the needs of the body, which uses fat as a reserve source of energy, as a cushion to protect vital organs, to maintain cells membranes and as a vehicle for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Recommended Daily 'Bad' Fat Intake
Doctors classify saturated fat and trans fat as "bad" fats because they can cause blood cholesterol levels to increase. Since high cholesterol remains one of the main risk factors for heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, it is important to maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Saturated fat, which stays solid and room temperature, should account for less than 7 percent of your total daily calories. Trans fat describes a type of fat created during the process of hydrogenation, which adds hydrogen to the fat in an attempt to make it more stable and increase its shelf life. Trans fats not only raise the level of bad cholesterol but also decrease the amount of good cholesterol, known as HDL. The American Heart Association, with the support of the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture, recommends limiting the daily intake of trans fats to less than 1 percent of your total calories.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010: Chapter 2
- Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board: Dietary Reference Intake Summary
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: How To Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- McKinley Health Center: Macronutrients -- The Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat
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