Dietary Fat: Rehabilitating a Misunderstood Food
Nutrition Foundation Pillar
For three decades, fat has had a bad reputation. It has been blamed for causing cardiovascular disease, and store shelves have been filled with “fat-free” products marketed as healthy choices. But fat is an essential nutrient—and the real question isn’t whether to eat it, but which kind.
Why Fat Is Essential
The recommendations set fat intake at between 20 and 35 percent of daily calories. This amount ensures an adequate intake of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Fat makes up the membranes of your cells, plays a role in hormone production, and facilitates the absorption of certain nutrients. Cutting it out entirely makes no sense; choosing high-quality fats is what really matters.
Good Fats
Two types of fats stand out for their health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and trout; and in flaxseeds and chia seeds) have a protective effect on the heart and are essential for brain health. Monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts) improve insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and blood pressure; olive oil is even associated with a reduced risk of several cancers.
Saturated Fat: A More Nuanced Issue Than We Think
Saturated fats (red meat, whole-fat dairy products, coconut oil, and palm oil) are the subject of genuine scientific debate. Dietary guidelines recommend limiting their intake—to less than 10% of total calories, and even less than 7% according to the American Heart Association—due to their link to “bad” cholesterol (LDL). That said, recent large-scale studies qualify this direct link to cardiovascular disease, and the observed benefit of replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat may primarily reflect the positive effect of the latter. Caution is still warranted, but saturated fat is not the simple villain it has long been portrayed as.
The Real Culprit: Trans Fats
If there's one type of fat to avoid, it's this one. Industrial trans fats—produced by the partial hydrogenation of oils and found in many commercial baked goods and fried foods—are the only dietary fats strongly linked to cardiovascular disease: they raise triglycerides and LDL, lower “good” cholesterol (HDL), and fuel inflammation. In 2015, the U.S. FDA removed industrial trans fats from the list of ingredients recognized as safe.
And let's remember: it's not fat that makes you gain weight, but excess calories—think of the energy balance.
Measuring Your Ability to Burn Fat
At rest, a metabolically healthy body burns a significant amount of fat as fuel. This ability can be measured: the respiratory analysis performed at Vsquare uses your RER to reveal the extent to which you oxidize fat—a valuable indicator of metabolic health that speaks volumes, far more so than the fear of fat on your plate.
References
de Souza RJ et al. “Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis.” BMJ. 2015;351:h3978.
Astrup A et al. “Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations (JACC State-of-the-Art Review).” J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;76(7):844-857.
Zhu Y, Bo Y, Liu Y. “Dietary total fat, fatty acid intake, and risk of cardiovascular disease: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.” Lipids Health Dis. 2019;18:91.
Liu AG et al. “A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion.” Nutr J. 2017;16(1):53.
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This article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you have any health conditions, consult a doctor before starting to exercise.
