The body requires various essential components to achieve the best quality of life. One of them is fats, and they are responsible for many vital body functions.
In this case, this post will mention the various benefits the body gains from fats. Aside from that, you will figure out how bad it can be if you have too much in your body. So keep reading this article to identify healthy and unhealthy fats.
The Functions of Fats
Fat gives texture to your food and also makes it taste good. Apart from this, fats also play vital functions in the body. You can find details about it shortly. Meanwhile, you have to choose the right types of fat. This way, you can gain their positive effects on your body.
Therefore, you have to figure out which types of fats are best for your health. The first details you will find out will include the healthy effects of fats on your body.
The Benefits of Fats
Below are the effects of fats on various parts of your body:
- Brain: The brain requires fats to achieve proper function. An example of healthy fat the brain needs is omega-3 fatty acids. In effect, you can improve your learning abilities, memory retention, and moods.
- Heart: Healthy fats can provide antioxidants that can lower the risk of heart attacks. Aside from that, some fats can also help the heart to beat in a normal rhythm.
- Nerves: The body uses fats to build nerve tissues. Healthy fats also protect the nerves, isolating electrical impulses and speeding transmission.
- Skin and hair: Healthy fats make the skin and hair soft. They can promote hair growth and support skin cell renewal, resulting in moisturized skin and hair follicles.
- Hormones: Fats help the body produce the right amount of cholesterol (HDL), which is the precursor to the sex hormones, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
- Eyes: Omega-3 fatty acids can protect the eyes from various issues, such as dry eye syndrome or glaucoma.
As you can see, healthy body fats have various benefits to the body. The effects take place in different body parts. Given this point, you can say that fats also take part in your health condition. On the other hand, too much fat may cause your health to be in danger. You will read details about the adverse effects of fats on your body in the next section of this post.
The Dangers of Fats
Not all fats are healthy, so you have to be aware of how it can increase your risk of developing health issues. In this case, the details below will tell you how unhealthy fats can affect your body:
- Too much amount of saturated fat can cause cholesterol buildup in your blood vessels.
- You become at high risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
- It can make you gain weight, which can lead to obesity.
- You can develop diabetes due to eating food high in saturated fats.
- It can make you insulin-resistant, leading to glucose buildup, which causes diabetes.
- It can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, such as prostate or colon cancer.
Too much fat can put your health at risk. Thus, it is best to keep them at good levels. You can help yourself maintain excellent fat levels by a balanced diet or exercise. Along with diet and exercise, some people even undergo body contouring treatments to remove stubborn fats. This type of treatment often works for those people in older age.
Recommended Fat Intake
You have seen the dangers and benefits of fats in your body. For this reason, it is best to be aware of how much you should have in your body. You should observe a healthy fat intake to ensure that your health will not be at risk. In this case, you should learn to limit your total fat intake to 35 percent of your calories.
Meanwhile, you also have to look into the amount per type of fat. Most types of food have combined fats, and it is best to choose those with higher amounts of healthy fats. Given this point, you have to consume saturated fats to less than 10% of your daily calories. You have to know what amount of fats is already bad for your health.
In general, you can control your fat intake. You only have to remind yourself about the adverse effects of unhealthy fats. In this case, you will do all means to get rid of or reduce taking them into your body. The right types of fats can provide benefits, but the unhealthy ones will do no good to the body. You always have to see the difference.
