Bellies and Butter: Let's Chat Fat
Reading time: 4 minutes
This week, I studied fat. In particular:
The fat in your body
The fat you eat
Here’s the 101 on both:
The fat in your body
We mainly associate fat with wobbly bellies and bums. This is called subcutaneous fat - a layer of fat beneath the skin.
When we consume more energy than we burn, the excess energy is stored in our bodies as fat for safe storage when needed - like a kitchen pantry. 1 kg of body fat contains almost 8000 calories, making it a super-rich energy source. Seeing that an average person can survive for 1-2 months without food, the ability to rely on our body’s stored fat when food was scarce was critical to human evolution.
Generally, subcutaneous fat is pretty safe. The problem occurs when the pantry becomes overstocked, and the body is forced to store the excess fat in arteries and around organs like the liver, kidneys, pancreas, intestines, and heart. This is called visceral fat and can cause serious health problems like diabetes, heart disease, strokes, artery disease, and cancer. The amount of fat that can be stored safely as subcutaneous fat differs from person to person. This is why some people are skinny fat: they don’t seem fat aesthetically, but they have a lot of fat around their organs. Conversely, a plump person can have little visceral fat, making them healthier than a skinny fat one.
Lastly, we have essential fat, vital for the body to function normally. It is found in most organs, muscles, and the central nervous system. 60% of your brain, for example, is made of fat. Essential fat regulates hormones, controls body temperature, and assists in absorbing vitamins and minerals. Thus, the body won't function properly when a person’s body fat dips below a certain level (about 5% in men and 10% in women).
The fat you eat
The fats you eat consist of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, but in different proportions. There are three main varieties:
Saturated Fat: These are solid at room temperature and are primarily found in animal products like beef, pork, lamb, poultry (with skin), butter, cheese, and other dairy products. Some plant oils like coconut and palm oil also contain high amounts of saturated fat. There are varying opinions about the health implications of eating large quantities of saturated fat, with experts in both the good and bad camps.
Unsaturated Fat: Generally liquid at room temperature, these are perceived as "healthy" fats. Examples include olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds and fish.
Trans fat: These are like the smoking of nutrition - unequivocally regarded as bad fat. Although present in small amounts in meat and dairy products, it’s mostly consumed in an artificial form by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils, making them solid. This artificial compound can be found in cakes, cookies, biscuits, packaged foods, cooking oils and spreads.
Trans fats first entered the food scene in the early 20th century and were embraced by major food companies. Their long shelf life, stability during frying, and desirable texture made them a popular choice for processed foods. The convenience and cost-effectiveness meant they were soon omnipresent.
Dr Fred Kummerow, an American biochemist, began researching trans fats in the 1950s and was among the first to sound the alarm about how trans fats contribute to coronary artery disease. He examined the arteries of people who had died from heart attacks and strokes, discovering that they were often clogged with the residue of trans fats. He found the same results in his experiments with pigs: If they were fed artificially produced fats, their arteries hardened and filled with plaque.
In 2013, Kummerow - then 98 and after 50 years of advocacy - took the fight against trans fats to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pushing for their ban. The FDA declared in 2015 that artificial trans fats should be eliminated from the U.S. food supply by 2018.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that consumption of trans fats causes around 500,000 deaths per year globally. Due to this, the WHO launched an initiative in 2018 to eliminate industrially-produced trans fats from the global food supply by 2023. So far, over forty countries now have best-practice trans fat elimination policies. Many countries with the highest trans fat in their food supply (e.g. Egypt, Mexico, Pakistan and Australia) have not yet done so.
And that, dear reader, is the skinny on fat.
The two key takeaways are this:
manage your visceral fat
steer clear of trans fats
I hope this gives you some food for thought. Have a happy and healthy weekend.
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