Types of fat
There are two types of fat “good fat” and “bad
fat”
Actually there are 4 types of fat: Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated,
Saturated and Tran’s fat, but they can still be catorigised
as good and bad.
Monounsaturated (good fats)
Monounsaturated fats are considered good fats and are said
to help reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure
and to help control diabetes.
These good fats are found in food like; olive oil, peanut
oil, cashews, canola oil, hazelnuts, peanuts, macadamia
nuts, pistachios, pine nuts and chicken fat.
Polyunsaturated (good fats) omega 3 and omega 6
Polyunsaturated fats are also considered good fats and
are said to reduce triglycerides, inflammations and tumour
growth. They also help to improve immune function and help
protect against sudden death from heart disease.
Polyunsaturated fats can be broken down into two categories:
Omega 3 and Omega 6
Omega 3 is found in foods like Canola oil, walnuts, flaxseeds,
hempseeds, salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna, sardines, and
herring.
Omega 6 is found in foods like safflower oil, sunflower
oil, sesame oil, nuts, beans and soft margarine.
Saturated (bad fats)
Saturated fats are bad fats; they raise cholesterol and
increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact they
are twice as potent at raising your bad cholesterol levels
as polyunsaturated fats are at lowering them. It is difficult
to eliminate these fats from your diet but one way to reduce
them is to choose fat free milk and other dairy products.
Saturated fats can be found in foods such as meats, whole
milk, cheese, palm and coconut oil.
Trans (bad fats)
Tran’s fats are the ugly fats; they raise bad cholesterol
(LDL) and lower good cholesterol (HDL). They increase the
risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tran’s fats can be found in foods like crackers, cookies,
cakes, shortening, margarine, hydrogenated oils and vegetable
oils that have been subjected to heat-damage during cooking.
Omega 3 fish oil and weight loss
A recent study that was published in the international
journal of obesity, researchers want to find out if by supplementing
the diet with omega 3 fish oil (good fat) would increase
the number of fat calories burned in a single day.
The two groups were fed exactly the same diet apart from
one group were fed 6 grams of fat in the form of butter,
olive oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil, the other group
were given 6 grams of omega 3 fish oil.
The fish oil group were given 8 capsules per day, 2 in the
morning, 3 at lunch and 3 in the evening.
The Total daily intake of omega 3 long chain fatty acids
was 1.8 grams.
The out come of the test results were fairly conclusive.
The table below shows you the changes in fat oxidation,
body fat, and metabolic rate after three weeks for the groups
with or without fish oil
With Fish Oil
Without
Fish Oil
Measurement of body fat
-2pounds
-0.7
Daily metabolic rate
1775 calories
1710 calories
These results show that the group who were supplementing
with fish oil burned about 1.1 milligram of fat per kilo
per minute. This is roughly 26% higher than the other group
who weren’t supplementing with the fish oil.
One of the key reasons as to why omega 3 fish oil has such
a powerful effect on fat metabolism is that the insulin
levels were 50% lower when subjects used the fish oil. Insulin
is a hormone that reduces the use of fat for fuel, while
also promoting fat storage in the presence of excess calories.
Insulin increases the activity of an enzyme known to promote
the storage of fat.
Insulin inhibits the action of hormone sensitive lipase,
which is responsible for breaking down stored fat and preparing
it for use as energy.
Insulin also activates an enzyme, which, along with fatty
acid synthesis, is responsible for converting carbohydrate
into fat.
Simply put, high levels of insulin make it less likely
that your body will use stored fat as a fuel source. The
drop in insulin levels when subjects used the fish oil would
have allowed more fat to be used for energy.
Conclusion
Any good doctor or nutritionist will tell you that the
best way to get any nutrient is to eat a very balanced diet.
In the case of Omega 3 oil this would be in the form of
fish, sadly due to the pollution levels found in our oceans
today eating large portions of fish every day is not advisable.
The frustrating truth is that there will never be an easy
quick-fix method of losing weight that is safe and simple.
However, with a little research into the workings of the
body, it becomes clear that there are many small things
you can do which add up over time to aid weight loss and
make you feel better about yourself. Taking a fish oil supplement
is a good idea for anyone wanting to make positive steps
towards weight loss.
>>
Click here for Omega 3 EPA Fish Oil Supplement
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