How Your Body Turns Fat into Energy: Understanding the Fascinating Mechanisms of Fat Metabolism

 What is Fat?

Do you ever wonder what fat is? Well, in complex terms, fats are the esters of fatty acids and glycerol or also called as triglycerides. These are the biological molecules which assist the cell functions. Simply stating, fat is one of the essential product that must be included in our diet. Though the quantity of fat should be low, it should not be zero. If it drops to zero, you might see some effects like low vitamins, weak immunity, rashes, etc.

Are Fats Harmful For Your Body?

The answer is both yes and no. Fats are classified into two types. They are saturated fat and unsaturated fat. Saturated Fats are the Fat which contains single bond in their molecular structure whereas Unsaturated Fats are the Fats which contains Double bond.

Talking about saturated fats, it is not harmful to our health if you take it in a healthy amount it becomes healthy fats. But, the excess of unsaturated may show some side effects to your body. Unsaturated Fats can have two types of structure for the same molecular formula. They are Cis-Form and Trans-Form. You may have heard about Trans-Fat, as that's the culprit for all the problems. 

Why are Trans-Fat Harmful?

Any Food Particles that we intake in our body are supposed to be broken down, and either absorbed by our body or excreted by our body. As Trans-Fat are really stable, it cannot be broken down into simpler forms, so it may stay in your body for a long time, which results in affecting your body. Excess intake of Tans-Fat can also bring various heart problems and increase bad cholesterol level in your body. It is also one of the main reasons of obesity. Trans-Fat can be differentiated from other fats by observing its state at room temperature. Most of the fats are liquid at room temperature, but Trans-Fat remains solid at room temperature as it has a high melting point.

What foods contain Trans-Fat and How to Know if any foods have Trans-Fat?

Trans-Fat naturally occurs in meats of herbivorous animals. But, Trans-Fat contained in herbivorous are not much as compared to the Trans-Fat contained in the foods like the Fried snacks. The Fast Foods we eat today are full of an unhealthy amount of Tran- Fat and harmful chemicals too. Some of the foods that contain Trans-Fat are :

• Packed Snacks   : Chips and Cookies

• Fast Food Items : Pizzas, French fries, Burgers, etc.

• Fried Foods         : Chicken Nuggets, Fried Chickens, Onion Rings, etc.

• Cake With Frostings

• Peanut Butter

To know if the packed foods that you purchase have Trans Fat or not, you can simply check the ingredients at the back of the packaging. Sometimes even though Trans-Fat content is not written in hydrogenated fat may be written, which is Trans-Fat.

How Does Fat Metabolism Work?

Like other foods like carbohydrates and proteins, Fats aren't digested easily. Fats are digested only in the small intestine where Bile Salts and Pancreatic Lipase act on it. These components are insoluble in blood and cannot be absorbed by our body. This is where Bile Salt comes to its duty. Bile Salts convert insoluble Fat components to soluble fat components.The Fats are then broken down into its simpler forms by Pancreatic Lipase into forms like fatty acids, glycerol and other alcohols. These soluble substances are called chylomicrons. These are then absorbed by our body by the finger like projections called villi and microvilli. After the chylomicrons are absorbed, they get used up by the cells of our body where it gets oxidised in the mitochondria.

How To Lose Fat?

Exercise solely will not help you lose fat. To lose Fat you need to know how and when are Fats lost. For Fat Loss, your body fat burned should be greater than the Fat we intake. Fat burning is the oxidation of fat by Mitochondria. Our Body needs energy to function and the oxidation of the digested food gains the energy. The carbohydrates are easier to digest and thus it us digested before the Fats. If we have enough carbohydrates to sustain our body the Fats present in our body will not be burned. So in order to burn the Fats in our body, you have to stay calorie deficit. Fat burning process can be divided into two phases:

1. Lipolysis : It is the breakdown of fat from complex form to simpler form by the enzyme called Pancreatic Lipase. This process can be stimulated by a hormone called catecholamine, which is also called fight of flight hormone. This hormone is secreted when you do intense exercises.It is also stimulated by caffeine. So, having a cup of coffee before your workout by help you burn fat easily. 
2. Oxidation of the Digested Fat : After the Fats are converted into the simpler forms, they are then utilized by the cells where it goes under oxidation or reaction with oxygen to release energy. So, after an intense exercise, a breathing session will also help in burning the Fats.

Consuming How Much Fat Is Considered Healthy?

Though Fat is not considered to be healthy in our believes it is not actually true. Fats are a great source of energy. It protects the internal organs of our body. It also helps in regulating the reproductive system. It is also a factor that keeps us warm. That's one of the reason that fat people feel less cold than the people who are skinnier. Fats help in absorption of Vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K. So, our diet must contain about 15 to 25% of fat. 

Amount Of Fat To Consume To Lose Weight?

In general, low fat diet will help you to lose weight. To give you an idea of how a low fat diet looks like it is about 0.02 grams of per calorie. Or according to the weight of the person the fat to be taken in a day is 0.5 grams per 1 kilograms. For example, a person weighing 80 kilograms should take 40 grams of fats per day. According to this data you can easily prepare meal plans for weight loss.

What happens when you consume a fatless diet?

Fats are an essential part of our balanced diet. If you do not consume fat, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K will be hampered, which may cause the deficiency of various nutrients. This may show various side effects to your body. So, be cautious while maintaining your diet. 

What is cholesterol and what are its types?

Cholesterol are the types of waxy substance that is produced by our liver. Cholesterol is a type of lipid which is important for the normal functioning of the body.

Cholesterol is shipped through the circulatory system in particles called lipoproteins. There are a few kinds of lipoproteins, however the two primary sorts are low-thickness lipoprotein (LDL) and high-thickness lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is frequently called "awful" cholesterol since it can develop in the walls of courses and structure plaques, which can tight or block blood stream and increment the gamble of coronary illness and stroke. HDL cholesterol, then again, is known as "great" cholesterol since it helps eliminate overabundance cholesterol from the blood and forestall plaque development in the courses.

Cholesterol itself isn't innately "great" or "awful" for wellbeing. It is an essential part of cell films and is likewise used to create specific chemicals and vitamin D. Nonetheless, having elevated degrees of LDL ("awful") cholesterol in the blood can expand the gamble of creating coronary illness and stroke. Then again, having elevated degrees of HDL ("great") cholesterol can assist with bringing down the gamble of coronary illness.

Keeping a good arrangement of cholesterol, especially by holding LDL levels under wraps, is significant for in general cardiovascular wellbeing. This can be accomplished through way of life changes like a solid eating regimen, normal activity, and not smoking, as well similarly as with drug if necessary.

Is cholesterol good or bad for health?

Cholesterol itself isn't innately "great" or "awful" for wellbeing. It is an essential part of cell films and is likewise used to create specific chemicals and vitamin D. Nonetheless, having elevated degrees of LDL ("awful") cholesterol in the blood can expand the gamble of creating coronary illness and stroke. Then again, having elevated degrees of HDL ("great") cholesterol can assist with bringing down the gamble of coronary illness.

Keeping a good arrangement of cholesterol, especially by holding LDL levels under wraps, is significant for in general cardiovascular wellbeing. This can be accomplished through way of life changes like a solid eating regimen, normal activity, and not smoking, as well similarly as with drug if necessary.

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What are HDL and LDL?

HDL and LDL are two kinds of lipoproteins that convey cholesterol in the blood. HDL is frequently alluded to as "great" cholesterol since it helps eliminate abundance cholesterol from the blood and transports it to the liver for end. HDL cholesterol is accepted to help safeguard against coronary illness and stroke by eliminating abundance cholesterol from the veins. LDL is frequently alluded to as "awful" cholesterol since it can develop in the walls of corridors and structure plaques, which can thin or impede blood stream and increment the gamble of coronary illness and stroke.

Both HDL and LDL are significant for keeping up with cardiovascular wellbeing, however elevated degrees of LDL cholesterol are related with an expanded gamble of coronary illness and stroke, while elevated degrees of HDL cholesterol are related with a diminished gamble of these circumstances. Keeping a good arrangement of the two sorts of cholesterol for ideal cardiovascular health is significant.

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Are fats and cholesterol related?

There is an intricate connection among fat and cholesterol. While cholesterol is a sort of fat, it isn't equivalent to the dietary fats that we consume in our eating routine. In any case, the sort and measure of dietary fat consumed can affect cholesterol levels in the blood.

Eating a lot of soaked and trans fat, found in food sources like meat, margarine, and seared food varieties, can build levels of LDL (terrible) cholesterol in the blood. This is on the grounds that these kinds of fats can invigorate the liver to create more cholesterol and furthermore diminish the liver's capacity to eliminate abundance cholesterol from the blood. Elevated degrees of LDL cholesterol in the blood are a gamble factor for coronary illness and stroke.

Then again, eating solid fats, for example, unsaturated fats, found in food varieties like avocados, nuts, and greasy fish, can assist with expanding levels of HDL (great) cholesterol in the blood, which assists with eliminating overabundance cholesterol from the body. HDL cholesterol is accepted to help safeguard against coronary illness and stroke.

It's vital to take note of that cholesterol is additionally delivered by the body, especially in the liver, and the sum created can be affected by elements like hereditary qualities, age, and generally speaking wellbeing status. Notwithstanding, dietary factors, for example, the sort and measure of fat consumed can likewise affect