Do we really need fat?

Question

The question is do we really need fat to survive? Must we eat chocolate or fatty food to supply our body fat? How good of fat is enough for our body?

Answer 1

We need some fat, yes; but you don't need to get it from overly fatty food. You can just eat regular unprocessed, non sugary foods and get enough fat in your diet.

Answer 2

Yes. Here's an exerpt from Wikipedia that sums it up pretty well:

Importance for living things

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats. Fats are sources of essential fatty acids, an important dietary requirement.

Fats play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and hair, insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function. They are also known as lipids. They also serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy. The fatty acids are a good source of energy for many tissues, especially heart and skeletal muscle.

The fat content of a food can be analyzed by extraction. The exact method varies on what type of fat you are analyzing, for example, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are tested quite differently.

Fat also serves as a useful buffer towards a host of diseases. When a particular substance, whether chemical or biotic -- reaches unsafe levels in the bloodstream, the body can effectively dilute -- or at least maintain equilibrium of -- the offending substances by storing it in new fat tissue. This helps to protect vital organs, until such time as the offending subtances can be metabolized and/or removed from the body by such means as excretion, urination, accidental or intentional bloodletting, sebum excretion, and hair growth.

Answer 3

The body needs around 8-10% body fat for optimum health, there's also fat surrounding the organs as a form of protection. Fat is definately needed in the diet (around 10-15% of total calories). Unsaturated fat sources should chosen, instead of saturated fat. Essential fatty acids are also important (omega 3,6,9).

Answer 4

In a word, YES!!! We need different types of fat to regulate our cholesterol/triglyceride levels, transport certain nutrients throughout the body, keep certain hormones in check, etc. Here's a quick primer on fat:

TRANS FAT = BAD. Trans fats are partially or fully hydrogenated oils, are completely man-made, and cause your "bad" cholesterol to go up and your "good" cholesterol to go down. They're found in virtually every kind of junk food (chips, candy, cakes, and anything made by Hostess or Little Debbie)

SATURATED FAT = BAD, BUT...Saturated fat has long been found to be a contributor to high cholesterol and heart disease, but nutritionists agree that you do need SOME saturated fat in your diet. You don't need to worry about getting it in to your diet unless you're a vegetarian, and even then you can get it in through nuts and dairy products.

MONOUNSATURATED FAT AND POLYUNSATURATED FAT = GOOD!!! The more mono- and polyunsaturated fats you can get into your diet, the better. They actually HELP with weight loss and HELP raise your "good" cholesterol" and HELP reduce your "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides. Good sources of these fats include: nuts, avocadoes, fish, flax seed, olive oil, and certain plant oils like canola or safflower.

Answer 5

Interesting question, and we probably do. The fat is stored as leftover nutrients to be saved for when your body needs it. Just a normal amount should be fine. Being obese is not good.

Answer 6

O.K. I don't know about needing fat to survive. (I do believe I remember something about that in health class) But I will tell you this a world without chocolate and junk food would be a very sad place to live!!! :(

Answer 7

Fats are important as part of a balanced diet, but fats from fish and nuts is what you should eat, not processed lard in chocolate!

Answer 8

your body does need some fat - its one of the main sources of energy, and some amino acids and vitamins can only be found in fat.
the recommendation is to get about 20% of your daily calories from fat. the rest from carbs and protein.

Answer 9

I think we need a certain amount because hormones and other nutrients are stored in fat.

Answer 10

you need a little fat. if women are too thin, they can't reproduce. and i think you need a little fat in your brain.