FATS elements: Carbon, hydrogen& oxygen

FATS elements: Carbon, hydrogen& oxygen

1. Funtions

   • 1. Provide warmth: Fats underneath the skin acts as an insulator to keep our body warm, this helps prevent excessive loss of heat from the body
   • 2. Protect internal organs: Help protect internal organs such as lungs, liver and heart against shock and damage, by surrounding and cushioning them
   • 3. Solvent for fat-soluble vitamins: Act as a solvent for fat soluble vitamins A,D,E,K. They are absorbed and stormed temporarily in the fat tissues of our body and used when needed.
   • 4. Source of energy: Provide body with a rich source of energy, provide twice the amount compared to carbohydrates. When consumed in excess, fats are stored in body as an energy reserve. When body's supply of carbohydrates in low, the body fats will be used to provide energy.

2. Types of fat

   • Saturated fats: comprise of fat molecules mostly made up of saturated fatty acids. They are saturated because the carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain of its fatty acids are linked to the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms. Since they only contain single bonds, they are not able to take in any more hydrogen atoms, thus are chemically less reactive. Sources often from animals except coconut milk & palm oil.
   • Unsaturated fats: compromise fat molecules are mostly made up of unsaturated fatty acids. They are unsaturated because the carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain of its fatty acids are able to take in more hydrogen atoms. Thus they are chemically more reactive and turn rancid easily. Unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils can be hydrogenated to form semi-solid/solid fats. (E.g. hard margarine) Hydrogenation is the process which unsaturated fatty acids react with hydrogen to form saturated fatty acids also known as trans fat.
     • a) Monosaturated fatty acids: contain 1 double bond, allows the hydrocarbon chain to take in one pair of hydrogen atoms
     • b) Polyunsaturated fatty acids: contain 2 or more double bonds. This allows the hydrocarbon chain to take in 2 or more pairs of hydrogen atoms, E.g. Omega-3 essential fatty acids.

3. A fat molecule= triglyceride-3 fatty acids + 1 glycerol

4. Recommended daily intake: less than 55g-65g, poly/mono unsaturated fat encouraged

5. Sources

   • Plant sources
     • Seeds ( sunflower/soya), Nuts (peanut/corn), Fruit (avocado/olive) -poly/monounsaturated fats
     • Hard Margarine -trans fat
     • Kernel (palm), Fruit (cocoa butter) -saturated fats
   • Animal Sources
     • Butter, Ghee, Lard, Fat tissues in meat & under skin -saturated fats
     • Fish Oils (Salmon & Sardines) -polyunsaturated fats
   • Visible fats: easily detected (meat, butter, lard)
   • Invinsible fats: Difficult to detect as they are constituents of food (nuts, seed)

6. Reduce fat intake

   • i) AT HOME : use less oil for cooking, adopt healthier cooking methods (baking/steaming), choose low-fat option for dairy products
   • ii) EATING OUT: remove visible fat and skin from meat and poultry, request for less oil and gravy when ordering food, choose dishes prepared without coconut milk

7. Insufficient fat intake: Lead to weight loss, having a low level of fats in the body can cause disruptions to out normal body functions such as absorbing and storing fat-soluble vitamins, maintaining body temperature and promoting health functions of cells in the brain, liver and heart. Body may be deprived of essential fatty acids such as omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids as they can only be obtained from food. Level of fats in body should fall within healthy range of 10%-20% for adult females. Females tend to have more body fats as they are needed for childbearing purposes.

8. Excessive fat intake

   • 1. Obesity: Person is extremely overweight, the body mass index (BMI) of an obese person is more than 27.5 and about 1/3 more of their body weight is made up of body fats. Obesity caused by excessive intake of food mainly from fats and sugars, and a lack of physical activity. Heredity also increases the risk of becoming obese, a person whose family is obese is more likely to become obese than those whose families are not. Being obese increases risk of developing diabetes and hypertension.
   • 2. Cardiovascular diseases affect heart and circulatory system
     • a) Stroke: occurs when blood vessel in brain is blocked/ruptured, causing a disruption in supply of blood and oxygen to the brain cells, stroke can cause person to develop permanent brain damage/ lose physical abilities.
     • c) Coronary heart disease: occurs when flow of blood in arteries is reduced/blocked. Coronary arteries are major blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to out heart muscles. These arteries are blocked by narrowing due to build-up of plaque (blood clots). Arteries blocked/narrowed by plaque have reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the heart muscles. During exercise/ other types of exertion, the heart may be unable to meet the increased demand for oxygen. As a result, they may experience severe chest pain around the heart, heart attack will occur if arteries become fully blocked.
     • b) Hypertension: is a condition in which blood pressure in arteries are abnormally high. The blood pressure of a healthy person is about 120/80mmHG but a person suffering from hypertension will have a blood pressure of 140/90mmHG or above. The narrowing of coronary arteries and high salt intake are the main causes of hypertension, heart is forced to work hard and the kidneys are overloaded with having to remove excess salt from body. If left untreated, may lead to heart attack/stroke/kidney failure. Symptoms: Headache, dizziness and poor vision.