My previous articles on dietary fat have discussed the various types and came to the conclusion that numerous health benefits can be enjoyed if you make saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat part of your diet. However, like so many other foods with potential health benefits, consuming too much can be bad for you. In this article I am going to be discussing the disadvantages of overindulging on dietary fats.
1) WEIGHT GAIN:- One of the main differences between dietary fat and the other two macronutrients (carbohydrates and protein) is the number of calories. Dietary fat contains nine calories per gram whilst carbohydrates and protein contain just four calories per gram. Therefore, overindulging on dietary fat can lead to rapid weight gain and ultimately obesity. Weight gain has a number of associated, negative side effects which include circulation problems, diabetes and joint problems.
2) INCREASED LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL) CHOLESTEROL LEVELS:- Saturated fat increases levels of both high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol clogs your artery walls which can lead to organ damage and heart disease. HDL cholesterol scrapes LDL cholesterol from your artery walls and helps remove it from your body. Whilst saturated fat does have many health benefits and is not the bad fat that many people believe, consuming too much can cause a build up of LDL cholesterol in your body which leads to the unwanted symptoms discussed above.
3) THINNING BLOOD:- Overdosing on omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) can cause your blood to thin. This can cause excessive bleeding and make you bruise more easily than normal. It can also cause problems for people who suffer from conditions that are affected by blood such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
4) INCREASED BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS:- Some evidence suggests that eating high levels of omega 3 EFAs can increase blood glucose levels in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. This can lead to a number of negative diabetic symptoms.
5) INTERFERENCE WITH OMEGA 3 EFAS:- Eating excessive amounts of omega 6 EFAs can stop your body using omega 3 EFAs properly. This can negate many of the benefits linked with their consumption.
6) INCREASED CANCER RISK:- Consuming high levels of omega 6 EFAs has been linked with certain types of cancer. In particular it is thought to increase people’s risk of developing both breast cancer and prostate cancer.
7) DEPRESSION:- Some research has linked high levels of omega 6 EFAs in the brain with depression.
8) HEART DISEASE:- Eating too many omega 6 EFAs can lead to blood clots. These clots restrict the flow of blood to the heart and can ultimately cause heart attacks.
9) INFLAMMATION:- One of the benefits of omega 3 EFAs is that they prevent inflammation. However, as discussed above overconsumption of omega 6 EFAs negates these benefits and therefore increases inflammation in your body.
Like with the other macronutrients when it comes to dietary fats balance is the key. They are essential for good health but too much can be damaging to your body. So by all means make eggs, oily fish and olive oil part of your diet. Just make sure this is not done at the expense of carbohydrates and protein.
What do you guys think? Do you know of any further negative side effects linked to excess dietary fat consumption? Do you agree that dietary fat should be eaten in moderation? Leave a comment and let me know.