6 compelling reasons on why we need fat

Fats add flavour to foods, but we're often warned away from eating them. Here are some essential facts about the different fats we eat, and why some are important to healthy living.

• Fats stimulate the intestine to release cholecystokinin, a hormone that suppresses the appetite and signals us to stop eating.
• This might be the reason that people who include a moderate amount of "healthy" fats in their diets are more likely to stay on the diet and lose weight.

• Fats supply the fatty acids that are essential for numerous chemical processes, including childhood development, sex hormone production molecule transport.
• Fats are needed for the transport and absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
• Interestingly enough, fat does not supply energy for the brain and nervous system. Both rely on glucose for fuel.

• Like certain vitamins and amino acids, some fatty acids must be obtained from the diet, because the body cannot synthesize them.
• Linoleic acid, which is then converted in the body into arachidonic acid, is one such fat.
• 30 milligrams of vegetable oil provides enough linoleic acid and fat to transport all the fat-soluble vitamins we need in a day. Any more than this is unnecessary.

• In developing countries, fats make up 10 percent of daily calories.
• In North America daily fat intake has increased from about 30 percent of the daily diet 100 years ago, to 35 to 40 percent today.
• This is the equivalent of approximately 90 grams of pure fat a day and is more than six to eight times what we need.
• Most experts now recommend that adults restrict their total fat intake to no more than 30 percent of each day's calories.
• Some authorities believe this number should be lowered to 20 percent.

• The types of fats we eat may be more important than the total amount of fat we eat.
• In general, saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Most animal fats are saturated.
• Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and solid or semi-solid under refrigeration.
• Polyunsaturated fats are liquid unless hydrogen is added, like in some margarines.
• When polyunsaturated fats are hydrogenated, they become more like saturated fats in their effects on blood cholesterol.
• Highly saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels because they interfere with the removal of cholesterol from the blood.
• Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, by contrast, either lower blood cholesterol or have no effect on it.

• Alpha-linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid found in flax seed, canola and soybean oil.
• It has been shown to provide numerous health benefits, including helping your heart keep a strong and regular beat.
• One study showed that men can get the heart-protective effect by consuming this fat. Even more significant than by simply reducing saturated fats.
• Another study showed that women who consumed the most alpha-linolenic acid had a significantly lower risk of dying from heart disease.

While we're often told fats are bad for us, this isn't the whole story. Fat is essential to living. And while the typical diet includes too much of certain fats, it's important to get the fat we need to lead healthy lives.