“You need fat to carry vitamins A, D, E and K into your bloodstream where they can be absorbed,” says Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, MS, director of STRIDE, a center for translational research, and associate professor of nutrition at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Each of these vitamins plays a specific role in the body. Vitamin A is important for vision and skin, D is critical for bone health, E has antioxidant properties that may help preserve cellular functioning, and K is required for blood clotting. And since fat is required to carry and absorb certain vitamins, your body can’t get the nutrients it needs without them. The vitamin K in your leafy greens, for example, won’t be absorbed unless you eat them with some fat. Dress your salad with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle nuts, seeds or low-fat cheese on top.

How Does Fat Act in the Body?
At nine calories per gram, fat carries more weight than either protein or carbohydrates. It’s mostly stored in the body’s fat cells, but you’ll also find fat in the blood, plasma and other body cells. The trouble is that if you eat too much (even of the good stuff), you’ll experience weight gain, obesity and accompanying disease states, including heart disease; cancers of the colon, lung, breast, endometrium and prostate; and dementia.

“Bad fats tend to increase inflammation in the blood vessels, narrowing the opening for the blood to move through,” says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, a registered dietitian and the director of wellness coaching at the Cleveland Clinic and a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “If you build up enough plaque or other inflammatory proteins in the blood vessel, a heart attack can occur.” Omega-3s, on the other hand, have anti-inflammatory and anticlotting effects, and thus reduce the risk of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

If you regularly consume fish, for example, you can slow the progression of abnormal thickening in your artery walls due to fatty deposits. How? The fats in fish raise healthful high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL) and lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL). “In the body, HDL is like a mop,” McDermott explains. “It cleans up the blood vessels and sweeps away the fatty deposits. But LDL actually deposits gunk in the blood vessels and forms plaques.”

To get the most nutritional bang for your buck and nourish your body with high-octane fats, increase your intake of fish like salmon, sardines and tuna to at least a few times per week. Studies show that downing just one or two servings of fatty fish a week can slash your risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent. Hate fish? Tofu, canola oil, walnuts and flaxseed contain omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
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By Amy Paturel, MS, MPH