Dietary fats are fats that help promote good health by providing energy (it provided more energy than carbohydrate and proteins), promote cell growth, assist in the absorption of some essential vitamins; they are necessary for hormone production and so on.
Dietary fat is divided into four types:
- Saturated fats
- Monounsaturated fats
- Polyunsaturated fats
- Trans fats
Saturated fat and Trans fat are regarded as “unhealthy fat” because they increase the level of low-density
lipoprotein (LDL), which increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and other diseases. They also reduce the level of High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL – good cholesterol).
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are termed “healthy fats” because they reduce the level of LDL (otherwise known as “bad cholesterol”) in the body. It is advised that you cut down on the number of unhealthy fats and improve the amount of healthy fat.