Like fat? Now you can eat Saturated Fats (moderately) and not Worry
Data from almost 350,000 subjects obtained from 21 studies indicated that dietary intakes of saturated fat are not associated with increases in the risk of either coronary heart disease (CHD) or cardiovascular disease (CVD), US researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Our meta-analysis showed that there is insufficient evidence from prospective epidemiologic studies to conclude that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD (coronary heart disease), stroke, or CVD (cardiovascular disease),” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Ronald Krauss from the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California.
Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in your diet, and they provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances.
When you eat fats as part of your meal, they slow down absorption so that you can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
Dietary fats are also needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.
Saturated fats are also:
-- The preferred fuel for your heart, and also used as a source of fuel during energy expenditure
-- Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid)
-- Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti fungal agents (lauric acid)
-- Useful to actually lower cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
-- Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid)
Read more here.
