Topic: So what's up with fat?

[Andy Animus Tran]

I know I should eat healthy fats and I know some foods that contain them...  But it'd be nice to know what makes healthy fats so good for you.  gear, I'm expecting an essay, here. 

[Thomas Edwards]

omega 3 and omega 9 fatty acids are good, whereas omega 6 are bad.
if you can, get unsaturated fats, and don't let these fats oxidize, as this will form omega 6.  avoid saturated fats, but most of all avoid trans-fats-the bane of life.

there is some talk of fat being a better fuel source than carbs and sugars, but that's under hella debate.

[Andy Animus Tran]

Yeah... I understand that those fats are good for you.  I'm asking why they are good for you.

[Gearsighted]

Wow, I'm at work so I can't give you the full scientific rundown, but here's the short version until I get home. Fat is absolutely essential for nearly every cellular function, from the creation of hormones and their efficient transport to retaining cell integrity and rebuilding bodily tissues. There are a variety of reasons for each essential fat being essential and fats such as saturated fat being less-than-essential (though they might not be as bad as once thought) I will get into details later tonight :p

[Thomas Edwards]

there's a book called Slow Burn by Stu Mittleman.  it's got a really in-depth discussion of this topic...we'll see if gear can give you the mad hookups via this thread though..

[Gearsighted]

Ugh, sorry, I've been mega-busy, and to give you an idea of the extent of this topic, check out this post about eicosanoids on drsears.com:

http://www.drsears.com/understandingeicosanoids.page

Have fun :p