Fat facts for kids

The word "fat" can also mean that someone is obese.

The obese mouse on the left has a lot of adipose tissue. In many animals, adipose tissue is used to store energy. For comparison, a mouse with a normal amount of adipose tissue is shown on the right

Fat is one of the three main types of nutrient. Fats are found in many foods.They are made of macromolecules called lipids. Lipids are based on long-chain fatty acids. Some of these are essential because the body cannot make them.

Different types of fats and their functions

There are three different types of fats : Unsaturated fats, Saturated fats, and Trans fats.

Unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats, are liquid at room temperature. They are considered useful fats because they can improve blood cholesterol levels, and ease heart rhythms. Most vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature have unsaturated fats. There are two kinds of unsaturated fats, Mono-unsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. We can commonly find them in avocados, nuts, peanuts, seeds, fish, and canola oil.

This is the structure of saturated fat, an ester with the chemical formula C₄₅H₈₆O₆, we can also called it Trimyristin, a saturated fat which is the triglyceride of myristic acid.

Saturated fats

Saturated fats will likely have no benefits; they are mainly found in animal foods, but a few plant foods are also high in saturated fats. Too much saturated fat in your diet can lead to heart disease and other health problems, such as gaining weight or increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke. People should not eat too much saturated fats. You should limit saturated fat to less than 10% of your daily calories. It can usually be found in dairy products, meat products, grain-based desserts.

This is a general example of bad fat (saturated fat), butter. It's a common food that people eat today.

A bowl of Raisin Bran cereal shown in a clear plastic bowl and low-fat milk. This a good example of low-fat foods.

Trans fats

Trans fatty acids, which are more commonly called trans fats. There are two types of trans fats, naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats. Naturally-occurring trans fats can be found in the guts of some animals and foods which are made from these animals. Artificial trans fats are made in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Trans fats are bad for cholesterol levels than saturated fats. They are most likely found in frying. baked goods, and processed foods.

How fats play a good role in human's body

Fats play a good role in human's body

Fats are used to absorb or get nutrients, like Vitamins for humans. It is used as a source of backup energy in cases when carbohydrates are not available, or people can not use it at that time. People need more than 20 to 35% of daily calories from fat. Also, fats play a role in helping people's body maintain or keep the core (center) temperature. However, they are also harmful, in other words, they have bad effects on human's bodies.

Good fats & bad fats

Bad fats, in other words, trans fats, have no known health benefits and will damage someone's heart and take them away from healthy. People might get diseases like blindness, which means they can not see anything because of having too much cholesterol and other fats. Most of the foods that contain these types of fats are solid at room temperature, such as butter and animal meat. On the other hand, good fats are naturally found in foods and will not damaged human's organs. The example foods of good fats are avocados, eggs, and nuts.

Important types of fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids are very important. They are called by where their double bond is placed. Omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3) and omega-6 fatty acids (ω-6) are essential: you need them both. They help build longer molecules which do cell signaling in different tissues. There are over 20 different signaling paths that control a wide array of bodily functions.

Eat fat and burn fat

Why do you need to eat fat to burn fat?

These foods are made of trans fats. You might get obese easily if you eat too much of these foods.

Medium-chain triglycerides are good for burning fat. They are easily absorbed, digested, and reused as energy. Eating milk fat, palm oil, and coconut oil will burn burn fat because they contain medium-chain triglycerides. Also, medium-chain triglycerides can increase metabolism. Increasing metabolism can burn more fat. Athletes use medium-chain triglycerides to increase their endurance during exercise. And nobody cooks medium-chain triglycerides oil. Healthy people are mix with water, juice, ice cream, or pudding.

This salad is very healthy. The fat of this salad is good to your body.

Avocados are a healthy food, and it will keep your blood sugar stable. It also use medium-chain triglycerides to burn you fat.

Fat is important for people, even though some people think fat is bad. Fat can help us keep our weight, and fat doesn’t necessarily make us fat. The fat that we eat can prove energy for us, and protects our organs, also keeping our cell membranes safe. But not all the fatty foods are good for you. Like pizza, french fries, and hamburgers. The fat from those will let you became fat, and let your health become terrible.

Diet

Fats also provide long-term energy for humans and, in cold climates, a layer of insulation to keep the body warm. They help the body use the vitamins found in foods. Fats are also good for the skin and hair. Olive oil is an especially healthy fat. Many types of fish also contain healthy fat, for example salmon, sardines, herring, and tuna. But if too much fat collects in the body, a person can become too heavy. The energy given by fats is used by moving around or exercising. Some vegetables like celery or carrots contribute much less to the bodies fat supply. Though being very important for the human body, it can also harmful in large amounts.

Hidden danger of fats

fatty liver is one of the diseases that can be caused by fat

First, you can get some diseases if you have too many fats in your body. One of these diseases is called the Fatty Liver. It is a condition which can be resolved by eating different food. Fatty liver is when someone has too many fats in his liver. But it can also associate by alcohol or metabolic syndrome. Fatty liver can be fixed, it can be improved by doing more games or adjust food and drinks. This is one of the hidden danger of fats.

Another hidden danger of fats is that it can cause some heart diseases. One example is Heart Failure.Heart Failure is an illness that does not have enough heart pumps blood. It lowers the leading of blood flow. The blood stuck in veins and lungs.

exercise is always good for your body

There are some ways to avoid these issues. The first way is to work out. Exercise is always good for your body. The second way is to eat healthily. You need to keep nutritious balance in your body. Also, enough protein can help you remove the fats in your body.

Images for kids

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  Idealized representation of a molecule of a typical triglyceride, the main type of fat. Note the three fatty acid chains attached to the central glycerol portion of the molecule.

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  Composition of fats from various foods, as percentage of their total fat

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  The obese mouse on the left has large stores of adipose tissue. For comparison, a mouse with a normal amount of adipose tissue is shown on the right.

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  Schematic diagram of a triglyceride with a saturated fatty acid (top), a monounsaturated one (middle) and a polyunsaturated one (bottom).

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  Margarine, a common product that can contain trans fatty acids

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  Cover of original Crisco cookbook, 1912. Crisco was made by hydrogenating cottonseed oil. The formula was revised in the 2000s and now has only a small amount of trans fat.

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  Wilhelm Normann patented the hydrogenation of liquid oils in 1902

See also

In Spanish: Grasa para niños