Despite what fad diets and catchy headlines would lead you
to believe, fat is not all the same. And you need to stop treating it that way.
So if you operate by a “fat is fat and fat is bad” sort of mentality, it’s
worth taking a few minutes to get to know your fat.
Here, experts (including a fat researcher!) share what you
really need to know about fat on your frame—especially if you’re trying to
lose weight, get healthy, or live longer:
1.Essential
Fat
What It
Is: The
fat you need to live. “Essential fats help regulate body temperature, vitamin
absorption, cell structure, and hormones such as fertility hormones,” explains
Naureen Sajwani, R.D., a clinical dietitian at Weiss Memorial Hospital in
Chicago. “Essential fat is found in many parts of the body including nerve
membranes, bone marrow, and membranes protecting body organs. Essential fat is
neither subcutaneous nor visceral." (Don't worry, we’ll dive into
subcutaneous and visceral fat later on.)
What
You Need To Know If You’re Trying To Lose Weight: You
cannot lose essential fat without compromising your health—and in a big way.
For good health, women need 10 to 13 percent of their total weight to come from
this essential fat, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Unfortunately, many women often strive for and achieve even
lower body fat percentages through extreme dieting and exercising, putting
their health at risk. That’s why many female figure competitors (who cut their
body fat percentages to as low as 6 to 10 percent for competitions), often
experience extreme hormonal dips and lose their periods. J. Mark Brown,
Ph.D., a lipid (a.k.a. fat) researcher with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner
Research Institute, also notes that too-low levels may also throw off the
body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. In animal studies, mice with excessively
low levels of body fat display symptoms of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, he
says.
