Your body contains different types of fats, also called fatty acids. Although your body can produce certain fats, such as long chain omega-3 fatty acids, much of these fats come from your diet. Dietary fat is a macronutrient which provides 9 calories per g and is essential for providing energy to your body. Eating healthy fats may lower your risk of heart disease, whereas eating unhealthy fats may increase your risk of heart disease.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids in your body are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Alpha-linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid your body must obtain from food, such as walnuts and flax seeds. Yet, your body can convert alpha-linolenic acid into longer chain omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaneoic acid and docosahexaneoic fatty acid, that play an important role in brain development and nervous system functionality and can protect you from heart disease. However, if you consume considerably higher quantities of omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids, you may not produce sufficient amounts of these long chain omega-3 fatty acids. You can also obtain omega-3 fatty acids from eating cold water, fatty fish, such as salmon, herring and sardines.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Omega-6 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid your body uses to regulate metabolism and reproduction and growth of bones, skin and hair. \Your body requires linoleic acid from food, such as vegetable oils. Your body can convert linoleic acid into other types of omega-6 fatty acids such as arachodonic acid and gamma-linolenic acid. These two fats maintain the health of your cells and have anti-inflammatory properties. Eating too much omega-6 fatty acids and too little omega-3 fatty acids can increase your risk of fat gain and obesity, according to research by scientists at the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis in Nice, France, and published in the "Journal of Lipid Research" in 2010.
Monounsatuated Fatty Acids
Monounsaturated fats, also called monounsaturated fatty acids, are healthy fats which contain one double-bonded carbon in the molecule and are liquid at room temperature, but can turn to solid as the temperature decreases. Your cells require monounsaturated fatty acids to maintain health of cell membranes. Monounsaturated fatty acids are in nuts, avocados and olive oil, foods that also have a high content of vitamin E. Monounsaturated fatty acids reduce your total and LDL cholesterol levels, the bad cholesterol, and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, especially when you use it to replace eating unhealthy fats, such as saturated and trans fatty acids.
Saturated Fatty Acids
Saturated fat, also called saturated fatty acids, is solid at room temperature and is found in animal products, such as meat and dairy, and in few plant sources, such as palm and coconut oils. Eating high amounts of saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease. Consult your doctor about your heart health and risk of eating foods with saturated fats.
References
- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics: Calories: How Many Do You Need?; 2003
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good; 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Essential Fatty Acids; 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-6 Fatty Acids; 2010
- "Journal of Lipid Research"; A Western-Like Fat Diet Is Sufficient to Induce a Gradual Enhancement in Fat Mass over Generations; Florence Massiera, et al.; Aug 2010
- American Heart Association: Monounsaturated Fats; 2011
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