Although necessary, also be aware of the dangers of consuming too much saturated fat & bull; hello healthy

You must be often reminded not to overeat foods that contain lots of saturated fat. He said, saturated fat is the main cause of heart disease. But did you know that the body also still needs saturated fat intake? The key, you still shouldn't consume it excessively. Indeed, what is the normal limit for saturated fat intake per day?

Saturated fats are fatty acids of animal origin

Fat is formed from two types of molecules, namely fatty acids and glycerol. The type and level of fatty acids determines the effect of fat on your body. Saturated fat is a type of fat that generally comes from animals, such as poultry, red meat and fat-rich dairy products.

From a chemical point of view, saturated fat is a fat molecule that is not double-linked with carbon molecules because this type of fat is saturated with hydrogen molecules. This saturated fat can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. This occurs because of an increase in levels of "bad" cholesterol (LDL) in the blood.

The intake of fats and fatty acids is needed as a provider of energy and helps the absorption of certain types of vitamins. Saturated fatty acids are a type of fatty acid which, if consumed in excess, can actually be at risk of detrimental to health.

The dangers of eating excess saturated fat

The function of fat in the human body is as an energy reserve, protects various important organs, maintains body shape and temperature, and helps the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, K. While the function of fat in food is to produce calories, make food taste better, binds to vitamins, contains essential fatty acids, and produces certain aromas and odors.

However, if there are too many foods that contain lots of saturated fat, this will cause problems for the body. One of them can cause an increase in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein).

LDL is often called bad cholesterol, a wax-like fat. This saturated fat is often found on the dining table through dishes containing animal fat, chicken skin, sweetened condensed milk products, and oils such as coconut oil and palm oil. One serving of fast food contains 28 grams of fat (41.2%), two fried fruits contain 18.8 grams of fat (28.1%), even one serving of plain rice contains 25-30 grams of fat (37-45%).

In fact, the recommended fat intake based on the General Guidelines for Balanced Nutrition (PUGS) Indonesia is 25% of total energy. If the consumption of saturated fat is high, while unsaturated fat tends to be low, the cholesterol level in the body will also be high. This will result in high serum blood cholesterol too.

Then atheroma plaques will form in the blood vessels which have an impact on the narrowing of the blood vessels to the heart. If this happens, the worst impact is the death of the heart muscle which can cause death.

Then, what is the normal limit for consumption of saturated fat per day?

Everyone is encouraged to meet balanced nutritional needs every day. There are six types of nutrients that must be obtained in food intake, namely carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water.

As for the composition that is good for protein intake, both from animal and vegetable protein, it is recommended that 10% -20% of the body's calorie needs, carbohydrates around 45% -65%, simple carbohydrates about 5%, and fat is recommended to be less than 30% of the calorie needs. body. Meanwhile, cholesterol needs can only be consumed less than 300 mg / day. Fat is needed by the body, but if it is excessive it can cause health problems.

Based on the American Heart Association, the recommended fat consumption is 25% –35% per day and should limit saturated fat intake to less than 7% of total calories. For trans fat intake should be less than 1% of total calories per day. Then the remaining intake must be met from unsaturated fatty acids.

Saturated fats are often referred to as bad fats, which are at risk of clogging blood circulation. If bad fats block blood flow to the heart, this can increase the risk of a heart attack. If it blocks blood circulation to the brain, you are at risk of stroke.