When it comes to losing weight, people are willing to try almost
anything. I'm sure you've had a friend or two that have sworn to shed
the pounds by trying some ridiculous diet or another, whether it's an
all beer diet, a cayenne pepper and honey purge for three weeks. One of
the greatest sources of controversy however comes from the role of
dietary fat in our diets - some people believe that fat is the ultimate
evil, and should be cut completely from what we eat. After all, we want
to lose fat, so shouldn't we just eat carbs and protein? Which leads us
to the question: can carbs and protein be turned into fat? What happens
if you eat zero fat? Is this a brilliant way to lose weight, or is it
doomed to failure? If you have ever wondered about the role dietary fat
plays in your attempts to lose weight, then read on!
First, let's establish some basics. Human fat is actually called adipose tissue, and the kind most of us want to lose is subcutaneous fat which exists just under the skin. These fat cells are full of lipids, which are triglycerides. In effect, you have three chains of fatty acids attached to one molecule of glucose. The result is a highly efficient method of energy storage, though our fat actually functions as an endocrine system in its own right, also producing hormones and other compounds that are essential for our body.
Now, protein and carbs cannot be turned into fat. What happens however is if you eat more calories than you need to maintain your weight, you will get fatter, regardless of what you eat. This is because excess protein means more protein gets burned for energy, and more fat gets put in storage. The same goes for carbs. So the truth is that protein and carbs cannot get turned into fat - they just cause you to store what fat you consume in greater quantities.
So is the answer to thus eat no fat at all? Unfortunately, if your fat consumption drops below 10% then your body will actually begin to turn carbs into fat in a process called novo lipogenesis. So while it's true that protein and carbs can't be turned into fat under most circumstances, simply cutting all fat out of your diet is definitely not the answer, as your body will find a way to make fat regardless.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Tucker
First, let's establish some basics. Human fat is actually called adipose tissue, and the kind most of us want to lose is subcutaneous fat which exists just under the skin. These fat cells are full of lipids, which are triglycerides. In effect, you have three chains of fatty acids attached to one molecule of glucose. The result is a highly efficient method of energy storage, though our fat actually functions as an endocrine system in its own right, also producing hormones and other compounds that are essential for our body.
Now, protein and carbs cannot be turned into fat. What happens however is if you eat more calories than you need to maintain your weight, you will get fatter, regardless of what you eat. This is because excess protein means more protein gets burned for energy, and more fat gets put in storage. The same goes for carbs. So the truth is that protein and carbs cannot get turned into fat - they just cause you to store what fat you consume in greater quantities.
So is the answer to thus eat no fat at all? Unfortunately, if your fat consumption drops below 10% then your body will actually begin to turn carbs into fat in a process called novo lipogenesis. So while it's true that protein and carbs can't be turned into fat under most circumstances, simply cutting all fat out of your diet is definitely not the answer, as your body will find a way to make fat regardless.
