Fat is often seen as the nutrient to avoid. People always seem to be raving on about low fat diets and foods. However, this nutrient is essential to human health and cutting it out of your diet can have some serious health implications. In this article I am going to discuss this in more depth and outline 4 negative fat deficiency symptoms.
1) HAIR, NAIL AND SKIN PROBLEMS:- Polyunsaturated fats are key for the creation of healthy hair, nail and skin cells. This type of fat deficiency can have a number of unpleasant effects on these cells. It can cause various skin problems including acne, dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), psoriasis (a skin disease which causes dry, red, scaly patches to develop) and wrinkles. It can also lead to dry hair, hair loss and impaired nail growth.
\"Fat Free Diet\"
2) INCREASED DIABETES RISK:- Diabetes is a disease where your body struggles to control blood glucose levels and as a result they become extremely high. These high blood glucose levels can have a serious impact on your energy levels and also cause damage to your blood vessels and vital organs. Consuming omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) has been shown to reduce diabetes risk by as much as 20%. Not eating enough of these fats can have the opposite effect and increase your diabetes risk.
3) INCREASED MACULAR DEGENERATION RISK:- Macular degeneration is a problem which many people face as they get older. Omega 3 EFAs have been shown to combat macular degeneration and create new retinal tissue. This type of fat deficiency has the opposite effect and increases your risk of macular degeneration as you age.
4) INCREASED MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS RISK:- Multiple sclerosis is a nerve disorder which causes the protective myelin sheath that wraps around certain nerve fibres to be lost. It can lead to depression, impaired mobility, muscular weakness and vision problems. Population studies have shown rates of multiple sclerosis to be lowest amongst populations who consume high levels of fish containing omega 3 EFAs. They have also shown that omega 3 EFA deficient populations have much higher rates of multiple sclerosis.
SUMMARY
As you can see, cutting down on fats is not the right thing to do if you want to stay fit and healthy. To avoid the fat deficiency symptoms discussed in this article you should make sure that at least 15% of your daily calories come from fat. So next time you are out doing your shopping and your eyes wander to the low fat meals section, keep on walking and pick up some healthy natural fats instead. Dairy, fresh fish, fresh meat and nuts are all good sources of fat that can be added to your diet and help you avoid fat deficiency.
4 Negative Fat Deficiency Symptoms
Tom Parker owns Free Fitness Tips - a fantastic source of free, impartial fitness advice. You can learn more about fat and fat deficiency by visiting his website.