Fat in the body. Pros and cons

For a long time we have listened to the chant of "if you do not want to store fat, do not eat fat". Big mistake. Eating fat does not necessarily mean accumulating fat, and of course we should not eliminate it from our diet, since it is an essential nutrient for our body. What we should do is learn to choose the most healthy and beneficial for us.

What are fats and what are they for?

They are chemicals that are in many foods and also in the body. Its best known function is to be a reserve of energy (one gram of fat is 9 kcal). They serve to assimilate vitamins such as A, D, E and K. They also have other lesser-known functions that are important.

When consuming food, it is important to know that fats are a macronutrient that in no way should you omit in your diet. It all depends on the amounts and type of fats that you include in your diet. Every cell of the body contains fat in its cell membrane. These cell membranes are composed of unsaturated fats, which provide flexibility and allow nutrients and cellular waste to enter and exit respectively.

Essential fatty acids also make up prostaglandins, which control inflammation in the body. Fats are vital in the hormonal balance, since they are composed of fats particularly of sterols such as cholesterol.

Adrenaline, noradrenaline, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are examples of fat-dependent hormones. That is why low-fat diets are not recommended and is also the reason why hormonal imbalances occur, especially in women who have a diet restricted in fat.

What do fats do in the human body?

They are the pantry, the reserve of energy for when there is no food. Thus, in pregnancy, the mother stores fat to be able to feed the baby and be able to make milk after it is born.
They hold and protect internal organs, such as the kidneys. If there was no fat "we would fall" to the lower abdomen.
They are precursors of some substances (hormones, vitamins, etc.).
They are part of the membranes of all the cells of the organism, including those of the brain.

Today, there are many people of all ages who have been accumulating fat and are obese. Our body is better prepared to "save" in case there is little food, than to live with a lot.

Now, we must also know the negative part in the case of excess fat in the body.

Cardiovascular problems

One of the main causes of cardiovascular problems is fat, it is the main factor and direct cause of hypertension. The reason is that both arteries and veins become increasingly stiff and fat begins to adhere to the walls of these arteries and veins, causing the blood circulation to become thicker and therefore slower. This problems will eventually lead to a cardiovascular disease.

High cholesterol

As we all know there are two types of good cholesterol or HDL and bad or LDL or bad cholesterol. The one that worries us is bad cholesterol because it is responsible for the accumulation of plaques that clog both veins and arteries.

The accumulation of plaques makes them thicker each time until they completely block the arteries, thus preventing the passage of blood through the arteries. Another ailment produced by the accumulation of fats is arterioclerosis, where the rigidity of the arteries added to the little flexibility of these can hinder the correct blood supply.

Type 2 diabetes

Diabetes can also become a consequence of excess fat, the reason is that because of these excess fats, the metabolism begins to slow down and with the synthesis of sugars and therefore problems in the creation of insulin It is the substance responsible for regulating blood sugar levels.

This type of diabetes is known as Type 2 Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus, it is a type of diabetes that does not need insulin injection, but should regulate blood sugar levels through medication. Otherwise, the disorders that Diabetes can cause in the body can be very serious, especially in certain parts of the human body, the organs that can be most affected are the kidneys, eyes or peripheral nerves.

Hypertension

Studies show that between 2 and 3 times there are more cases of hypertension among obese people than among people of normal weight. As we increase our weight we are also increasing the numbers of our blood pressure.

In cases of hypertension due to obesity, this will be reduced as we lose weight, rising again if we recover it again. The place where this fat is located is also an important factor.

If our fat is distributed through the buttocks, legs or hips, we will have a lower risk of hypertension than if the fat accumulates along the trunk or abdomen. In many occasions it is not necessary to medicate the patient, simply by losing weight, your blood pressure can be regulated.

How much fat should I consume?

This recommendation should be, like any diet, personalized for each one, but the general recommendation is that around 30% of the calories in our daily diet come from fats. If in a woman the average daily caloric is about 1200 or 1500 kilocalories, then the fats that we consume should give us between 360 and 450 kilocalories, which are approximately between 40 and 50 grams of fat.