Types | Utilization | Weight Management | Effects on Endurance
Types of Fats
- Monounsaturated Fats
- Polyunsaturated Fats
- Omega-3 fatty acids (Linolenic acid)
- Omega-6 fatty acids (Linoleic acid)
- Arachidonic Acid
- Saturated Fats
- Trans-unsaturated fat
- Dietary Cholesterol
Utilization
- Energy Storage
- Insulation
- Body structure
- Cell membranes
- Protection
- Essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acid)
- controlling inflammation, blood clotting, and brain development
- Hormones & bile salts
- Vitamin carrier (Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K)
- Palatability and satiety of foods
Weight Management
- A reduction in dietary fat without a reduction in total calories or an increase in physical activity only produces small, if any changes in body fat mass (Leibel 1992).
- Also, see Macronutrient Ratio Studies.
Effects on Endurance
- High-fat diets may limit endurance if carbohydrates are low and the body is accustomed to a higher carbohydrate diet.
- After 2–4 weeks, physical endurance is not affected by ketosis as long as dietary fat remains high. (Phinney 2004).
- There is no net glucose synthesis from lipids except from glycerol portion - 10% by weight
- A high-fat diet may actually increase endurance in certain elite athletes, particularly if they have adapted to such a diet regimen.
- Studies are mixed as to whether it increases endurance
- The ideal would be fat adaptation with high glycogen and intramuscular triglyceride stores
- Fat adaptation occurs after five days of being on the high fat diet and persists during one day of carbing up (Burke 2000)
