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All you wanted to know about fat

This is just a small excerpt, from a very informative write-up on fats.

Yar
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After water, fat is the most abundant substance in your body. Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in the diet; they also provide the building blocks for cell membranes, for hormones and for prostaglandins. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins a, D, E and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A and for a host of other processes. More than 70% of your brain and nerve cells are made of fat, making this critical tissue resilient and shock-resistant. Every cell membrane in your body is at least 30% fat. Both cholesterol and saturated fat are essential for growth in babies and children. In babies, fat is needed in the formation of myelin--a specialized membrane that protects the nerves and is essential to the normal development of the central nervous system and the brain. The fat contained in breast milk best meets this development. Yet, the American Heart Association is now recommending a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet for children! Those who possess enough will power to stay fat-free for any length of time develop a variety of health problems including low energy, difficulty in concentration, depression, weight gain and signs of mineral deficiencies. Those who point to Japanese statistics to promote the low-fat diet fail to mention that the Swiss live almost as long on one of the fattiest diets in the world.
http://tuberose.com/Fats_&_Oils.html

Quote:

The average adult U.S. male eats about 2.7 kg (about 6 pounds), and the average U.S. female eats about 1.8 kg (about 4 pounds) of food per day. According to 1979 figures, the average person in the U.S. ate 135 lbs of fats that year, about 168 grams per day--56% of the average daily calories. The small intestine can digest about 10 grams of food fats every hour. That's the maximum capacity. The consumed fat was 34% saturated, 40% monounsaturated and 15% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The rate of fat consumption has been increasing by about 1 pound per person per year for the last 20 years. For men, 23% of the body weight as fat is considered obesity; for women, 32% is considered the edge. In the metabolism of fat, several minerals and vitamins are known to be involved. This field of study, important as it is, is just in its infancy. Vitamins A and E are necessary to keep essential fatty acids intact in the body, to protect them from destruction by oxygen and free radicals, and to keep them capable of fulfilling their important duties. In 1900, cancer killed one person in every 30. Today it kills one in 3. Around the turn of the century, cardiovascular disease accounted for one death in every 7. Today, it accounts for one death in every 2. Diabetes has risen at a similar rate, and the other diseases of fatty degeneration, like multiple sclerosis, liver and kidney degeneration have risen equally as fast.

He claims that in 1979 we ate 168g of Fat per person. That is a believable number. His claim that fat cosumption has increased 1 pound per person per year is flagrantly ridiculous, though...because that would mean the average American is now consuming 192g of Fat per day. All the charts say the exact opposite, fat consumption is down from the levels he claimed for '79 to about 101g now...They were about 89g at their lowest in the mid-80s.

Noone else I've ever read claims we eat an average of 192g Fat per day. Since the USDA says the SAD is 35% Fat...that would mean the Average American is consuming 5,000 Calories a day. For Caloric intake to have risen 2,300 Calories (168g ~ 56% = 2,700 Calories,) the Average American would put on 100-200+ pounds per year.

cc48510
I have emailed the originators of the above, and ask them to confirm there facts and figures, it is with the Gods whether we get a reply or not.

My thoughts on this write up of fats, was, why is it that we can manufacture many different fats within ourselves, yet cannot manufacture essential fatty acids.
The question in my mind is, is it because these efa's were readily available during our evolvement, that we had no need to manufacture them.
If so, what food was so abundant throughout the seasons, during evolvement, that contained the efa's. [Fish, game meat, plant, seed?]
If we new the answer to that we could have the ultimate WOE.

It would also be good to know why we humans, plus the Guinea pig [there maybe one other] cannot manufacture our own vitamin C, it seems all other animals can, the same question arises, was food containing vitamin C, so readily available.

I am not sure i would change my way of eating, even if i knew the answer, i am very happy with my 47% fat diet.
Yar

Quote:

In 1900, cancer killed one person in every 30. Today it kills one in 3. Around the turn of the century, cardiovascular disease accounted for one death in every 7. Today, it accounts for one death in every 2. Diabetes has risen at a similar rate, and the other diseases of fatty degeneration, like multiple sclerosis, liver and kidney degeneration have risen equally as fast.

What stupid statistics. People live longer now than in 1900. People died of many more things in 1900 like infections. People in 1900 did not get old enough to die of old age deseases. People with diabetes now live longer, and have children that are pre-disposed to diabetes (am I not referring to stage 2 diabetes which I know is getting much worse). What percentage of people died in 1900 where they did not even know what they died of?

In a perfect world you might say we want everyone to die from their heart stopping (cardiovascular disease), since we all have to die of something eventually. Just not prematurely.