the diet only since the low-fat trend of the last few decades. This is not
news, really. Scientists have known of the importance of fat in the diet
since the discoveries in 1929 by researchers who demonstrated the
necessity of dietary fat. Before discussing these issues — which fats
are best and how can they be balanced — let’s highlight some of the
many healthy functions of fat.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment.Certain dietary fats
consumed in balanced proportions can actually help pre-
vent many diseases. For instance, we now know that
dietary fats are central to controlling inflammation,
which is the first stage of most chronic diseases. And,
selectively increasing certain dietary fats has been shown
to reduce the growth or spreading of cancer and improv-
ing recovery in heart disease. Many brain problems,
including cognitive dysfunction such as Alzheimer’s dis-
ease, can also be treated with fats. A healthy brain is more
than 60 percent fat. - Energy.The aerobic system depends on fat as the fuel for
the aerobic muscles, which power us through the day. Fat
produces energy, and prevents excessive dependency
upon sugar, especially blood sugar. Fat provides more
than twice as much potential energy as carbohydrates do,
9 calories per gram as opposed to only 4 calories. Your
body is capable of obtaining much of its energy from fat,
up to 80 or 90 percent, if your fat-burning mechanism is
working efficiently. The body even uses fat as a source of
energy for heart-muscle function. These fats — called
phospholipids — normally are contained in the heart
muscle and generate energy to make it work more effi-
ciently. - Hormones.The hormonal system is responsible for con-
trolling virtually all healthy functions of the body. But for
this system to function properly, the body must produce
proper amounts of the appropriate hormones. These are
produced in various glands, and dependent on fat for
60 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH