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The most dreaded word in many dieter’s vocabulary is ‘fat’.
It is not uncommon to hear a dieter discuss their avoidance
of eating fat as if it were something thoroughly unwholesome,
or even life-threatening, like an allergen, or a contagious
disease.
In one way, this impassioned hatred of fat is positive. It
reflects a generally understood medical truth that overindulging
in fat-rich foods often causes unwanted, and unhealthy, weight
gain.
However, in another way, this fat-phobia is potentially dangerous,
because awareness of fat is not enough; an understanding of
how fat influences weight gain and overall health is required.
Unfortunately, those who dread and avoid all fat “as a rule”
are overlooking an important difference between saturated
fat and unsaturated fat.
Saturated fat is often the real culprit when it comes to unwanted,
and potentially unhealthy,  weight
gain. These types of fats, which are solid at room temperature,
initiate the production of LDL cholesterol, or “bad cholesterol”.
In addition to weight gain, as cholesterol increases, so does
the risk of heart disease. In fact, saturated fats increase
LDL cholesterol disproportionately more than dietary cholesterol
itself; that is how powerfully bad it is to the human body[i].
Dreading and avoiding this kind of fat is therefore quite
intelligent.
Some dieters, however, are motivated less by concerns about
high cholesterol and heart disease than they are about cosmetic
weight gain. This is not a criticism; the adverse health effects
of excess weight are well documented, as are the emotional
traumas and social stigmas that tragically affect tens of
millions of overweight people, especially children[ii].
Unquestionably, an excess intake of saturated fat is linked
to weight gain. This is because a fat gram contains more than
twice the amount of calories as a protein gram – 9 calories
versus 4 calories[iii]. As a result, dieters can eat more
than twice as many protein grams as fat grams to achieve the
same amount of caloric intake. For dieters who are steadfastly
watching every calorie, this 125% calorie difference between
protein and fat can have an enormous impact.
Fat cells, once created, cannot be removed[1]; they can only
be made smaller through the body’s metabolic calorie-burning
process[iv]. Since an individual’s rate of metabolism is determined
largely by genetics, a dieter with a slower than average metabolism
will spend months, perhaps even years longer struggling to
shrink fat cells then would his or her metabolically-gifted
counterpart[v].
It is quite easy to understand, based on the above discussion,
why the very idea of fat is dreaded by dieters; both because
of the health hazards it poses, and its capacity to create
excess fat cells. And it is just as easy to understand why
many people are so afraid of consuming this kind of fat that
they strive to remove all fat from their diet. This, however,
is a large nutritional oversight.
Fat is a macronutrient that the body requires for a number
of important functions. Fat is a source of energy. It helps
keep the body warm, it aids in the absorption of some vitamins,
and helps regulate the proper functioning of the brain and
nervous system[vi]. This appears, however, to be a contradiction.
On the one hand there are health and weight gain hazards associated
with fat, and on the other hand, there are proven health benefits
associated with fat. How can this be? The answer is easily
understood when we differentiate between the two types of
fat: saturated and unsaturated. The kind of fat associated
with health hazards is the former; the kind that the body
needs and uses effectively is the latter.
There are two sub-types of unsaturated fat: polysaturated
fat, and monosaturated fat. Popular foods that contain polysaturated
fat include safflower oil and corn oil, while monosaturated
fats are found in such foods as olive oil and peanut oil.
These unsaturated fats are those that provide the body with
the most useful and efficient sources of fat that lead to
the health benefits noted above.
However, though there is a clear benefit to eating unsaturated
fats instead of saturated fats, both types continue to offer
eaters the standard 9 calories per gram. As such, no eater
should consume an excess amount of fat.
Equipped with the awareness and understanding that avoiding
saturated fat is hazardous to health, and that there is such
a thing as “good” (unsaturated) fat, it would be expected
that most nutritional supplements on the market have created
foods that reflect this understanding. This is, regrettably,
not the case.
Most nutritional supplements contain some fat content; many
even contain saturated fat for some inexplicable reason[2].
Tragically – and there is no other word – many dieters are
deceived into eating self-described nutritionally intelligent
foods that may be “low calorie”, and may even have some vitamins
and nutrients, but they but they are adding to the individual’s
limited capacity to ingest fat grams. Many people who seek
to lose weight by eating nutritional supplements often gain
weight. They erroneously believe it is the result of a slow
metabolism, when the culprit is the amount of fat grams ingested.
Fortunately, there are several fat-free food supplements on
the market today. There are several important benefits of
this strategy that benefit dieters of all sizes.
The obvious benefit is that a dieter does not have to count
fat calories when eating these  nutritional
supplements; they are 100% fat free, and do not add to their
daily fat-intake limit.
Less obviously, however, is that a zero-fat nutritional supplement
that contains protein can stimulate the digestive system and
minimize fat storage. This is because the protein content
can help regulate the body’s ability to effectively absorb
the calories that it derives from carbohydrates and fats.
For example, a dieter who eats a sugary, fat-filled cupcake
can mitigate fat storage and increase nutrient utilization
by eating it with a protein-rich nutritional supplement.
The world of nutrition has long since known the link between
dietary fat and weight gain. Unsaturated fat can be a trusted
ally in the fight against weight loss. Understanding how it
differs from saturated fat helps demystify the stigma of unsaturated
fats – a stigma that should be reserved for its unhealthy
cousin, saturated fats.
ABOUT PROTICA
Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm
with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect,
a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage
containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on
Protica is available at http://www.protica.com
You can also learn about Profect at http://www.profect.com
Copyright - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com
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[1] Fat cells can be removed externally, through such methods
as liposuction and stapling, but these so-called solutions
carry their own brand of risks and consequences.
[2] Actually, the reason is usually because of taste.
REFERENCES
[i] Source: “Fat Dictionary”. Dietsite.com.
http://www.dietsite.com/dt/diets/HeartHealthy/fatdictionary.asp#SATURATED%20FATS:
[ii] Source: “The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent
and Decrease Overweight and Obesity”. US Department of Health
and Human Services.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm
[iii] Source: “Reducing Dietary Fat”. WebMD.
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/46/2731_1679
[iv] Source: “Can Diabetics Benefit from the Removal of Fat?”.
Washington University Physicians.
http://wuphysicians.wustl.edu/newsArchive.asp?navID=1&category=home&ID=288
[v] Source: “Weight Loss Understanding Why Diet’s Don’t Work
– and what DOES Work”. Healthynewage.com.
http://www.healthynewage.com/losing-weight.htm
[vi] ibid.
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