The main effect, of course, being that fat contains far more energy than any other type of food, and so provides more calories than one may burn effectively.
My question is, are there any other effects beyond this? I ask because it’s occured to me lately that perhaps my diet and exercise regimen aren’t making up for all the fast food I eat. And that’s a lot of grease, of course, but I’ve always rationalised that since I exercise so much, and apparntly burn it all off as fast as I take it in, I’m not suffering any ill effects.
So, could I be? What other effects, if any, does consuming too much fat have on the body? Any answers or ideas would be appreciated; don’t be afraid to get specific, as I like to believe I have a fairly good grasp of physiology.
Thanks!
Well, if your fat diet is rich in the trans-fats and saturated fat varieties, your body tends to turn these molecules into the ‘bad’ cholesterol which promotes vascular disease. Mono and poly-unsaturated fats tend to get turned into more useful, less dangerous substances.
(The above is an extreme simplification and used for illustration purposes only)
Wouldn’t regular cardiovascular exercise help counter this, though? Or does cholesterol in the blood not get used as an energy source, at all?
Trans fats tend to rip apart your arterial walls. Nasty stuff.
Ironically, as far as I know, they started making partially saturated (trans fats) to avoid having a saturated fat count that was too high. So by avoiding having a label that says it has high saturated fat, instead, we get artificial fats that are far more harmful than any saturated fat would be.
No, cholesterol manufactured by your body is not meant to be a fuel source. Regular exercise improves your odds, but does not in and of itself completely compensate for an unhealthy diet.