Key points
- Not all fats are bad, some are necessary for the proper functioning of our body.
- It is important to find a balance between good fats and bad fats to avoid diseases.
In our next note Dr. Eduardo Fernández Campuzano, an internal medicine specialist at ABC Medical Center, answers your questions about the importance of balancing your intake of good and bad fats instead of eliminating them completely.
- What are good and bad fats?
Fats or lipids are divided into high-density lipids (good cholesterol), low-density lipids (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides.
High-density lipids help cleanse your body of bad fats, preventing them from sticking to the arteries and clogging them. You can increase the good cholesterol in your body by eating unsaturated fats such as Omega 3, avocado, olive oil, and nuts, however, exercise is key to keeping your cholesterol levels in an optimal state.
Low-density lipids are transported by good fats and used by your body to carry out various important metabolic functions. Low-density cholesterol is bad when it exceeds the good cholesterol’s capacity to be transported, this causes bad fats to circulate freely and adhere to arteries or veins.
Another type of fat is triglycerides, which are formed by the consumption of sugars and flour. They constitute the energy reserve in your body and are stored in fat cells. Excess calories raise triglycerides and, consequently, the development of cardiovascular diseases and pancreas inflammation, better known as pancreatitis. - How is it that fat clogs the veins?
Good cholesterol is responsible for binding to bad cholesterol, preventing it from adhering to the walls of arteries and veins. When there is an excess of bad cholesterol in the blood, its accumulation in the walls of arteries and veins is inevitable, obstructing blood flow and compromising the circulation of nutrients to your cells. This happens in all blood vessels and the severity of the obstruction occurs in small arteries such as those of the heart.
For this reason, it is important to check the relationship between good and bad cholesterol in a lipid profile, a test that we suggest you perform once a year to adjust your lifestyle and avoid future complications.
In some cases, medication is of great help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. Always remember to talk to your doctor to have the right treatment for you. - Are fats good? Should we remove them from the diet?
Fats are essential in our diet, many hormonal and metabolic functions depend on a reasonable amount of them in your daily food, the important thing is that you identify which are more beneficial and which are more harmful.For example, fried foods contain a high percentage of bad fats, while plant-based fats and omega 3 contribute to the increase in good fats.A lipid profile in your annual health test prevents the risk of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome.
At the Nutrition and Obesity Center of the ABC Medical Center we can give you specialized care. Contact us!
