Everywhere we turn in today's world it seems that someone is talking about some kind of fat. It can get confusing, and it can be hard to keep it straight. So on this page we are going to talk about 4 different kinds of fat:

Fats that we eat

There all kinds of fats and oils that we eat. There are saturated fats. Saturated fats are often considered to be harmful. They are thought to clog your arteries, and cause other problems. There is a controversy over this, and researchers are looking into things more deeply. At this time the federal government is advising that saturated fat is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. There is a strong relationship between saturated fat intake, blood cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. This relationship is considered to be a causal one. This means that it is believed that the ingestion of saturated fats causes blood cholesterol levels to rise, and contributes to cardiovascular disease.

One way that the oils we eat are processed is when they are hydrogenated. When oil is transformed with hydrogen it is called a “trans fat.” Hydrogenated oils are highly processed and are in many of the foods that we eat. When hydrogenated oils are processed, hydrogen atoms are added to fats that weren't saturated before. Because of the ways these oils are processed and their molecular bases altered, the oils last longer and don't become rancid or go bad for a long period of time (think shortening or margarine), but adding the hydrogen atoms also makes the oils less healthy. Trans fats are not an essential part of a healthy diet. They raise cholesterol levels in a bad way that increases the risk of heart attack by raising the bad cholesterol and lowering the good cholesterol.

Monounsaturated oils are some of the healthiest oils you can eat. Polyunsaturated oils are better than saturated fats, but not as good as monounsaturated oils. Neither monounsaturated nor polyunsaturated oils raise cholesterol levels in a bad way like hydrogenated oils do.

If you eat out in restaurants a lot, ask how your food is prepared. Try to find out if a dish is high in trans fats.

Fats in Our Bloodstream

The fats in our bloodstreams are called triglycerides. The triglycerides are fatty deposits stored in your body in your bloodstream. Here is how it works.

Your body takes the carbohydrates that you eat and makes glucose, which your cells use for energy. After that is done any leftover glucose goes to your liver, and is made into glycogen which can then be stored in your muscles. After your body has enough glycogen, any leftovers are sent to the liver again. The liver makes the leftover glycogen into fat or the leftover glycogen can remain in your bloodstream.  When too high a level of triglycerides is in your bloodstream, your blood can thicken more easily, which increases any clotting or blockage that might happen. If you have both high cholesterol and high triglycerides, there is an increased possibility of heart disease.

Subcutaneous Fat

Subcutaneous fat is the fat that lies just below the skin of our bodies. While subcutaneous fat is the easiest to get rid of, it is also the most easy to see. It may also be called adipose tissue. The subcutaneous fat also has blood vessels which supply the skin with oxygen. It also stores energy which our body can use when needed. Because the subcutaneous fat stores energy, it is thought that to lose subcutaneous fat, exercise and movement are better options than diet. When a person doesn't exercise and depends upon diet alone to lose weight, about half the weight loss is subcutaneous fat. When a person exercises, more than half of the weight lost could be subcutaneous fat.

Visceral Fat

Visceral fat is the fat that lies around and surrounds our organs. It is living cell(s) and can pick up the toxins and problems that are in the area around it. The liver processes what is in the abdominal fat and then sends those toxins throughout the body through the blood stream. You can't tell if you have too much abdominal fat by checking the size of your stomach. One can have a normal or regular stomach and still have too much belly or visceral fat.

People who don't move a lot, who smoke or drink have been shown to have more visceral fat than active people who don't smoke or drink. Stress may also contribute to visceral fat deposits. It is harder to lose than subcutaneous fat. Losing weight through a healthy combination of diet and exercise can help. It is shown that people who eat 30% or more of their daily calories in fat are more likely to have large amounts of visceral fat. Many consider the best exercise to lose visceral fat is walking. Doing no exercise at all often causes an increase in visceral body fat.

On one show Oprah showed what belly fat looked like and how it was dangerous. You can see the slides here and here. The comparison of the amount of visceral fat is important.

Visceral fat is linked to Type II Diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease, stroke and other problems. In women it may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer