Importance of Fat in Our Body
Fat often gets a bad reputation, but it is an essential nutrient that plays a vital role in maintaining overall health. Beyond being a source of energy, fat supports cell structure, aids in the absorption of vitamins (A, D, E, and K), regulates hormones, and provides insulation to protect internal organs. While excess fat can lead to health risks, the right balance of healthy fats is crucial for brain function, skin health, and overall well-being.
Understanding the role of fat helps us make informed dietary choices for a healthier lifestyle.
Adipose tissue: what is it?
Your body is made up of connective tissue called adipose tissue, sometimes referred to as body fat. Subcutaneous fat is located beneath your skin, visceral fat is located between your internal organs and bone marrow adipose tissue is situated inside the cavities of your bones.
Insulation and energy storage and release are the main functions of body fat. But now, scientists know that it’s an active organ in your endocrine system as well. Nerve cells and blood vessels are found in adipose tissue, which also sends hormone signals to various organs throughout the body.
It plays several crucial roles in controlling overall health. However, having too little or too much of it can cause these to malfunction.
What is adipose tissue used for?
Body fat has numerous vital purposes, such as:
- Storing and releasing energy.
- Protection against heat and cold.
- Padding around delicate organs.
- Controlling satiety and hunger.
- Preserving the equilibrium of energy.
- Controlling cholesterol and blood sugar.
- Preserving insulin sensitivity.
- Producing heat through thermogenesis.
- Supporting immunity.
- Sex hormone metabolism.
Why fat is necessary
A healthy, balanced diet must include a small quantity of fat.
Fat Soluble Vitamins A, D, and E are absorbed by the body more readily when fat is present. Because these vitamins are fat-soluble, fats are the only way for them to be absorbed.
Body fat is created from any fat that isn’t utilized by your cells or transformed into energy. Similarly, leftover proteins and carbs are also turned into body fat.
Your body uses fat for energy, organ protection, cell growth, blood pressure, cholesterol regulation, and the absorption of essential nutrients. You risk depriving your body of what it needs most when you obsess over losing all fat.
How Do Fats Function in the Human Body?
It is well known that eating too much cholesterol and other fats can cause illness and that limiting our intake of fatty foods is part of a balanced diet. But we can’t create the fat our bodies require to function to the fullest extent possible.
A flowery, multicolored building.
The most prevalent cell type in the human liver is hepatocytes, like the one pictured here. Its production of bile, a liquid that facilitates fat digestion, is one of its key functions. University of Pittsburgh’s Donna Beer Stolz is credited.
Our bodies cannot produce these fats on their own, thus triglycerides, cholesterol, and other important fatty acids are necessary for energy storage, insulation, and organ protection. They assist proteins in carrying out their functions by acting as messengers.
They also initiate chemical reactions that aid in the regulation of basic metabolism, immunological response, growth, and reproduction. Additionally, fats aid in the body’s nutrient storage. For instance, the liver and adipose tissues contain vitamins A, D, E, and K.
All animals, including humans, control their energy levels primarily through the cycle of generating, breaking, storing, and consuming lipids. Any step that is out of balance can lead to illness. For example, high blood triglyceride levels increase the chance of artery blockage, which can result in heart attacks and strokes.
Formation of Membranes
Our cells and the organelles they contain are surrounded by cell membranes, also known as plasma membranes. And they are made possible by lipids. Inside and outside of cells, the fatty ends of membrane molecules—mainly phospholipids—steer away from the water, but the nonfatty ends are drawn to it.
A semipermeable bilayer barrier is created when the molecules spontaneously align. Because it aids in maintaining these membranes’ structure and controlling their fluidity—the ability of the lipids to flow freely within them—cholesterol is a crucial component. The end effect is flexible protective barriers that let only specific molecules enter and exit cells, much like bouncers at a club.
Use and Storage of Fat
The primary kind of fat in our bodies is triglycerides. They are produced by our bodies from excess glucose or carbs in our diets, as well as from fatty foods like butter and oil. They are particularly well-suited for energy storage since they contain more than twice as much energy as proteins or carbs due to their composition of three fatty acids and glycerol. While some of the fat we eat is immediately used by our bodies as energy, the remainder is transported via circulation and stored in fat cells.
The body employs enzymes called lipases to break down the stored triglycerides when it needs more energy, like during a marathon. The mitochondria, which are frequently referred to as the cell’s powerhouse, may then produce additional ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the body’s primary energy source.
Two kinds of fats
You must examine the two categories of dietary fats in further detail to comprehend their function in a nutritious diet:
The primary forms of fat that are present in the diet are:
- Fats, both saturated and unsaturated
Saturated and unsaturated fats are present in varying amounts in the majority of fats and oils.
Reduce the amount of foods and beverages that contain trans and saturated fats and aim to replace some of them with unsaturated fats as part of a healthy diet.
Saturated fats
Full. This fat is referred to as “bad” fat. Animal foodstuffs like beef and pork as well as high-fat dairy products like butter, margarine, cream, and cheese are the main sources of it. Many baked, processed, and quick foods, such as pizza, sweets, hamburgers, cookies, and pastries, also have high levels of saturated fat.
Many foods, both savory and sweet, contain saturated fats.
The majority of them originate from plant foods like coconut and palm oils, as well as animal sources like meat and dairy products.
- Saturated fat-containing foods include fatty meat cuts and meat products like pies and sausages.
- Ghee, butter, and lard cheese—particularly hard cheeses such as ice cream, cheddar cream, and soured cream
- Some salty snacks, such as popcorn and cheese crackers
- Chocolate candies
- cakes, pastries, and biscuits
- Coconut cream, coconut oil, and palm oil
Not saturated.
There are two varieties of this healthful kind: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Nuts including almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans; seeds like pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds; and avocados and peanut butter are good sources of monounsaturated fats. Additionally, it can be found in plant oils such as canola, sesame, safflower, peanut, and olive oils.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are examples of polyunsaturated fats. Plant-based oils including soybean, corn, and safflower oils, as well as walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and trout, are rich sources of polyunsaturated fats.
Dietary fats’ impact on cholesterol levels is the primary health concern.
Saturated fat increases the production of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can build up in the arteries and raise your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
On the other hand, unsaturated fats contribute to an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol. In the blood, HDL collects extra LDL and transports it to the liver, where it is broken down and eliminated. “You want to have a high HDL-to-LDL ratio, and unsaturated fats can help with this,” Malik states.
However, studies have shown that increasing consumption of good fats is insufficient.
The body primarily produces cholesterol, a fatty material, in the liver.
The blood carries it as:
- LDL, or low-density lipoprotein
- HDL, or high-density lipoprotein
Consuming excessive amounts of saturated fats can increase blood levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, which can enhance the risk of heart disease and stroke.
By transporting excess cholesterol from areas of the body to the liver, where it is eliminated, “good” HDL cholesterol helps the body.
Guidelines for saturated fat
The majority of UK citizens consume excessive amounts of saturated fat.
The government suggests:
Men should have no more than 30 grams of saturated fat per day, women should consume no more than 20 grams, and kids should consume less.
Trans fats
Certain foods, including meat and dairy products, naturally contain trace amounts of trans fats. Vegetable oil that has been partially hydrogenated also contains them. If hydrogenated vegetable oil is listed as an ingredient in a food, it must be disclosed.
Trans fats have the same potential to increase blood cholesterol levels as saturated fats.
The government suggests:
- Trans fats should not exceed 5g per day for people.
- All of their own-brand items no longer include partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, according to the majority of UK supermarkets.
In the UK, people typically consume far more saturated fats than trans fats. This implies that cutting back on saturated fats is more crucial when examining the quantity of fat in your diet.
Unsaturated fats
The greatest way to lower your risk of heart disease is to consume less fat overall and replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats.
There is strong evidence that consuming some unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats can help decrease cholesterol.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated unsaturated fats are mostly found in plant and seafood oils.
- Fats that aren’t saturated
- By preserving “good” HDL cholesterol levels and lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, monounsaturated fats contribute to heart protection.
There are monounsaturated fats in:
- Rapeseed oil, olive oil, and spreads derived from them
- avocados and a few nuts, including peanuts, almonds, and Brazil
- Fatty polyunsaturated
- Additionally, polyunsaturated fats can help reduce blood levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Omega-3 and omega-6 are the two primary forms of polyunsaturated lipids.
Small amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fats must be included in your diet because your body is unable to produce some of them.
Vegetable oils that contain omega-6 fats include:
- Sunflower, corn, and rapeseed
- Nuts with greater omega-6 content include:
- Almonds, walnuts, and cashews
- Oily fish contains omega-3 lipids.
- Trout, kippers, herring, sardines, salmon, and mackerel
- The majority of people consume adequate omega-6 in their diet, but eating at least two servings of fish each week—at least one of which should be an oily fish—is advised to increase omega-3 intake.
Vegetarian-friendly sources of omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, rapeseed oil, flaxseed (linseed) oil, and omega-3-enriched eggs.
Adipose tissue is found where?
You have adipose tissue all over your body. These are the main depots:
- Adipose tissue beneath the skin (SAT). This type of fat resides in the space between your muscles and skin.
- Adipose tissue in the viscera (VAT). This is the fat that envelops your abdominal cavity’s organs.
- Other places are as follows:
- In the bone marrow.
- In the tissue of the breast.
- In between muscles.
- All around your heart.
- In the sockets of your eyes.
- In the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands.
- A specific type of adipose tissue, known as brown adipose tissue, is mostly seen during infancy and becomes less prevalent as people age. It is located around your vertebrae and above your clavicles in your upper back.
Does having adipose tissue provide any health benefits?
Healthy adipose tissue is essential. Its regulating systems may malfunction, though, if there is too much or too little. Age and sex-specific healthy values range from 10% to 35%.
Obesity causes the body’s current fat cells to proliferate because it runs out of tissue in which to store lipids. Chronic inflammation and several ensuing metabolic diseases are linked to enlarged fat cells. Ironically, because the body doesn’t have enough existing tissue to store lipids in, a lack of total fat tissue can have the same effects.
Which illnesses and ailments frequently impact this bodily system?
Numerous metabolic diseases, such as the following, can result from dysfunctional adipose tissue:
- Diabetes due to insulin resistance.
- Obesity is caused by malfunctioning hunger and satiety signals.
- Cardiac issues and hypertension.
- Fatty liver disease and organ fat buildup.
How to determine whether your diet is deficient in fat
In healthy individuals who consume a well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet, dietary fat deficit is uncommon. However, you may be at risk for fat shortage if you have certain illnesses, like:
- eating disorders
- Resection of the big bowel (colectomy)
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- pancreatic insufficiency, cystic fibrosis, and a very low-fat diet
Your body may not function as well in certain biological processes if you don’t get enough fat from your diet. Let’s examine some indicators that you may not be eating enough fat in your diet.
- Inadequate intake of some vitamins
- Dietary fat is necessary for your body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, including A, D, E, and K. Among other things, a lack of certain vital nutrients can raise your chances of
- Blindness at night
- Infertility
- Gum swelling
- simple bruising
- dry hair, tooth loss, melancholy, and sore muscles
- clots of blood beneath your nails
- Skin irritation, or dermatitis
- According to research, fat plays a crucial role in the formation of your skin’s cells and aids in the preservation of its moisture barrier. Insufficient intake of dietary fat may have an impact on skin health and result in dermatitis.
Inflammatory skin is commonly referred to as “dermatitis.” Dry, scaly rashes are a common symptom of dermatitis brought on by a dietary fat deficit.
Slow healing of wounds
Research indicates that your body needs fat to produce several critical chemicals that regulate your inflammatory response. Slow wound healing could result from this reaction being disturbed by decreased dietary fat intake.
Additionally, deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin D, can impede the healing of wounds.
Loss of hair
Your body produces prostaglandins, which are fatty chemicals that encourage hair growth. A diet low in essential fat may alter the texture of your hair and raise the chance of scalp or brow hair loss, according to studies.
Regular illness
Restricting fat intake too much can impair immunity and increase the likelihood of getting sick. Dietary fat is necessary for your body to make some chemicals that boost immune cell activation.
The development of immune cells also depends on essential fatty acids. For this, your body specifically needs the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid.
Why is fat necessary for your diet?
For several biological functions, your body requires fat from your diet. Without it, you couldn’t lead a healthy life. The following are some of the vital functions that dietary fat fulfills in your body:
- Aids with vitamin absorption. Because vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, your body can only absorb them if you take them with fat. Vitamin deficits brought on by a low-fat diet can result in some health problems.
- Promotes the development of cells. Every cell in your body has an outer membrane that is structured by fat.
Promotes eye and brain health. Your brain, central nervous system, and retinas are all kept healthy by the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). You must obtain these fatty acids from your diet because your body is unable to produce them.
Healing of wounds. Essential fatty acids are important for blood coagulation and wound healing.
Generation of hormones. Dietary fat is necessary for the production of some hormones, such as the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.
Energy source. You get roughly nine calories of energy for every gram of fat you eat. In contrast, just four calories of energy are produced by every gram of protein or carbohydrate.
What is the significance of dietary fats?
The function of fats in taste perception and their significance in various food technology applications are covered in Functions, Classification, and Characteristics of Fats.
Dietary fats are crucial from a nutritional perspective for several health-related factors as well as for the body’s optimal operation. In addition to providing energy, dietary fats serve as the body’s structural building blocks, transport fat-soluble vitamins, participate in critical physiological processes, and are essential for many other biological activities, such as growth and development.
Energy provision
Along with the other two major macronutrients, proteins and carbs, fats are a source of energy for humans. The most concentrated source of energy is fat, which has 9 kcal per gram consumed.
This is more than twice as much as protein or carbohydrates (4 kcal per gram) and more than four times as much as fiber (2 kcal per gram). When energy is needed, the body’s fat tissue, which stores fat, releases fatty acids (see box: Body fat).
The structural element
Our body’s cell membranes regulate the flow of chemicals into and out of cells and physically divide the interior from the exterior. Triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids make up the majority of their composition.
The organization of the membrane and, consequently, its fluidity are influenced by the length and saturation of the fatty acids found in phospholipids and triglycerides. The membranes are more flexible because unsaturated and short-chain fatty acids are less viscous and rigid. This affects some critical biological processes, including endocytosis, which is the process by which a cell envelops a particle to facilitate its reception.
Vitamin carrier
The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are carried by fat in the diet, which also facilitates intestinal absorption of these nutrients. For a person to get enough of these micronutrients, they must eat enough fatty foods that contain these vitamins.
Additional biological processes
According to the Functions, Classification, and Characteristics of Fats, our bodies are unable to manufacture polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) linoleic acid (LA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
Some key activities would be hampered without these necessary fatty acids, hence the diet must supply them. Longer-chain fatty acids and substances with inflammatory or hormone-like characteristics can be produced from LA and ALA.
As a result, a variety of physiological functions, including inflammation, wound healing, and blood coagulation, depend on essential fatty acids. The long-chain forms of LA and ALA can be converted by the body into arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and, to a lesser extent, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but this conversion appears to be restricted.
Direct consumption of specific long-chain fatty acids, such as EPA and DHA, is advised because they are considered “conditionally essential.” Oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, tuna, and anchovies, are the best sources of EPA and DHA.
FAQs
Which five factors make fat important?
Your body uses fat for energy, organ protection, cell growth, blood pressure, cholesterol regulation, and the absorption of essential nutrients.
What makes body fat significant?
Despite having a bad image, fats and lipids are essential for the body’s general processes, including digestion and energy metabolism. The body uses fat as a source and store of energy, which aids in regulating body temperature.
Which four vital roles do fats play?
Our bodies cannot produce these fats on their own, thus triglycerides, cholesterol, and other important fatty acids are necessary for energy storage, insulation, and organ protection. They assist proteins in carrying out their functions by acting as messengers.
How may body fat be increased?
Verify that you are underweight first.
Your body fat is measured by your body mass index (BMI).
Eat More Frequently Drink Your Calories
Avoid Consuming Junk Food
Pick the Correct Nutritious Foods Top Your Soups Dress Up Your Salads 8. Be cheesy.
Which five purposes does fat serve?
One important kind of food storage is fat.
They can function as a bigger, more durable energy store.
The dense layer of subcutaneous fat helps regulate the internal environment and protects the body from extreme temperatures.
The body makes and regulates hormones using lipids.
Reference
- Website, N. (2023, April 18). Fat: the facts. Nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/different-fats-nutrition/
- The functions of fats in the body. (n.d.). Eufic. https://www.eufic.org/en/whats-in-food/article/facts-on-fats-dietary-fats-and-health
- Harvard Health. (2021, April 19). Know the facts about fats. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/know-the-facts-about-fats#:~:text=%22Fat%20helps%20give%20your%20body,your%20body%20absorb%20vital%20nutrients.
- Crowley, R. (2024, January 24). What do fats do in the body? – Biomedical Beat Blog – National Institute of General Medical Sciences. NIGMS Biomedical Beat Blog. https://biobeat.nigms.nih.gov/2024/01/what-do-fats-do-in-the-body/#:~:text=Triglycerides%2C%20cholesterol%2C%20and%20other%20essential,helping%20proteins%20do%20their%20jobs.
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24052-adipose-tissue-body-fat
- 5 signs you’re not getting enough fat in your diet. (2020, December 4). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fat-deficiency#balanced-diet