Fats - The Basics

FATS

Fats is the name given to one of the macro nutrients that includes fats and oils, both of which are composed of fatty acids. These fatty acids are made from the chemical elements carbon and hydrogen, and are based around carbon chains of varying length with hydrogen atoms attached to it. Different fatty acids have different length chains. Short chain fatty acids such as butyric acid from butter, have four carbon atoms. Fish oils and the long chain fatty acids that comprise most of the human brain have 20 - 24 carbon atoms. The fatty chain of the molecule is a water insoluble (hydrophobic), oil soluble, non-polar chain of variable length. It dissolves in oil but not water, this is an important property for fatty acid functions in our body. The acid end of the molecule is a water soluble (hydrophilic) polar, weak organic acid known as a carboxyl group which dissolves in water but not oil.

This chemical makeup gives rise to the two groups of fats, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats have all their carbon atoms saturated with hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated fats have empty spaces where hydrogen atoms are missing, these spaces link up with molecules of other substances in the body so they make unsaturated fats much more biologically active. In contrast, saturated fats have no empty links and are virtually inert, their only biological function is to provide energy. Athletes carry more energy reserve of fat than they will ever use and therefore have no need for saturated fats at all.

Athletes do however require special fats for the cell membranes of every cell in the body, eg, the brain, eyes, adrenal glands, and sex organs. Special fats are essential for a high level of oxygen use and energy transformation required for optimum performance.

Processed Oils are Bad Fats
Modern processing changes the chemical structure of fatty acids in such a way that the human body cannot use them, they are therefore biologically inert and are simply stored. The very worst type of fat is of course hydrogenated vegetable oils. These are crucially damaged and processed fats that humans have mutated in the production of their food chain. Hydrogenated vegetable fats are dangerous to your health as well as being totally useless and unusable for the human body - leading to the accumulation of fat stores and adipose tissue.

Nutritionally important fats have a structure known as a cis chemical configuration, which means that hydrogen atoms on the carbons are all on the same side of the molecule. Because of the slight electrical charge all of the hydrogen atoms repel each other and put bends in the carbon chain, these bends are the essential shape of the molecule that make it possible for all the special biological functions of fats to take place.

Modern processing totally destroys this cis formation converting fats into what is known as a trans formation. This basically describes where all the hydrogen atoms lie on opposite sides of the fat molecule causing it to lose its bends and straighten out. Such fat molecules lose their ability to perform important biological functions. They are essentially unusable by the human body and cause nothing but fat storage and build-up, while being potentially very harmful. Nearly every food manufactured and processed and changed, that is not grown or organically produced, free from manipulation, contain these lethal and damaged fats and trans-fatty acids.

Hard Fats and Saturated Fatty Acids
These are straight chains with no kinks, no double bonds, and are slow to react with other chemicals and carry no electrical charges.

Saturated fatty acids decrease oxygen supply to our tissues by making red blood cells stick together, less mobile and less able to deliver oxygen to our cells. Hard fats are things like butter, lard, and the solid fats on meats. Saturated fats, are as stated, saturated with hydrogen atoms and so are basically useless for bodily and brain function. These should generally be avoided where possible.

Hard Fats and Unsaturated Fatty Acids
These contain one or more double bonds between carbon atoms in their fatty carbon chain and for each double bond they give up two hydrogen atoms.

The cis formation provides the fluidity needed in cell membranes.

Your body has the ability to change the long chain fats of more than 16 carbons into unsaturated forms by inserting spaces called double bonds, therefore, it can almost make all of the myriad of different fats it needs. However, there are two essential fatty acids that your body cannot make itself. These are LINOLEIC ACID and ALPHA LINOLENIC ACID. It is therefore essential that these fats are provided by your diet. It is important to note that linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acid are all the dietary fats an athlete needs. The best vegetable source of linoleic and linolenic acids is flax or linseed oils, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and soybeans. Not only are these fats essential but they are required in certain quantities and ratios. The modern diet although deficient in both of these highly essential fats, is weighted in the wrong ratios - a double whammy of trouble. This has been linked to the potentially ever increasing degenerative diseases throughout the modernised western world.

Functions of Linolleic Acid and Alpha Linolenic Acid

Energy Production
They collect oxygen, electron transport and energy in the process of oxidation which is the central and most important moment-to-moment living process - it is the burning of food to produce energy.

Oxygen Transfer
Essential fatty acids hold on to oxygen in our cell membranes. This oxygen acts as a barrier to viruses, fungi and bacteria that cannot thrive in its presence.

Hemoglobin Production
Involved in the process that makes oxygen available to tissues by activating oxygen molecules.

Membrane Components
They help hold proteins in the membrane by electrostatic attractive forces of double bonds. They are therefore involved in the transport of substances in and out of cells by protein channels and pumps.

Recovery from fatigue
They substantially shorten the time required for fatigued muscles to recover by facilitating the conversion of lactic acid to water and carbon dioxide.

Linoleic Acid Deficiency Symptoms

-hair loss
-kidney degeneration
-liver degeneration
-infections
-slow wound healing
-sterility
-miscarriage
-heart and circulatory problems
-growth retardation

Alpha Linolenic Deficiency Symptoms

-weakness
-impairment of vision and learning ability
-tingling
-growth retardation
-high triglycerides
-high blood pressure
-sticky platelets
-dry skin