Insufficient fat intake may lead to increased body fat? ! Three principles for healthy oil use

Ms. Lin, a 35-year-old female office worker, usually has the habit of cooking for herself and pays great attention to her body fat percentage. When she went to the hospital for a health check, she found that her body fat percentage exceeded the standard value. I thought it was because I used too much oil when cooking, so I stopped eating fried foods and started cooking oil-free dishes. However, my body fat percentage rose to 40%, which affected my self-confidence in my appearance. I also started to feel my skin was rough and I had constipation problems...

A survey on "Chinese people's fat intake management habits" conducted among women who have the habit of cooking found that more than 76% of women who pay attention to fat intake management have significantly insufficient fat intake every day, less than the 3 teaspoons recommended by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's daily dietary guidelines. The main reason for this is the worry that excessive fat intake will lead to the accumulation of body fat.

Chen Xinmei, attending physician of the Department of Family Medicine at Taipei Zhongshan Hospital, reminds us that insufficient fat intake can have many effects on the body, such as: feeling hungry easily, which results in eating more other energy sources, which may make it easier to accumulate body fat; in addition, it can also lead to insufficient intake of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Chiu Shih-han, a nutritionist at the Millennium Love Health Foundation, recommends the "Healthy 3 Teaspoons" principle - consume at least 3 teaspoons of fat per day and pay attention to a balanced diet. Therefore, under the principle of "Healthy 3 Teaspoons", it is important to choose good quality cooking oil. It is recommended that the public follow the "3 principles of healthy oil use" when selecting and consuming oil. Consume at least 3 teaspoons of fat per day to meet the daily recommended basic fat intake, and choose cooking oils with medium-chain fatty acids, so you don't have to worry about the risk of accumulating body fat. In addition, you may wish to purchase cooking oil in smaller sizes, such as 1 liter, to keep the oil fresh and safer.

Insufficient fat intake may cause health problems such as body fat accumulation

Medium-chain fatty acids are easily absorbed and metabolized by the human body and are not likely to accumulate body fat

Chen Xinmei, chief physician of the Department of Family Medicine at Taipei Zhongshan Hospital who participated in the survey, pointed out that the survey found that among 64.2% of women who use cooking oil when cooking and 35.8% who hardly use cooking oil when cooking, there are three major myths about the intake of cooking oil. The first myth is that "oil-free food is healthiest". Among women who do not use cooking oil when cooking, 38.1% believe that not consuming it can prevent the accumulation of body fat. Doctor Chen added that due to the rise of health and wellness awareness in recent years, oil-free cooking and light diets have been developed. Deliberately not consuming fat will also have many impacts on health, such as: easy to feel hungry, and instead eat more other energy sources, such as: starch, sugar, etc., which is more likely to cause the accumulation of body fat.

Another big myth is that "less oil is also healthy". More than 95% of women who use cooking oil when cooking believe that daily cooking oil intake should be limited to help manage body fat. However, nearly 60% of them consume less than 3 teaspoons of cooking oil per day, which seems to be an overreaction. This is mainly because people are worried that excessive intake of fat may lead to health problems such as body fat accumulation, fatty liver, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. Doctors warn that this can easily lead to insufficient intake of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, because the human body needs the help of fat to absorb A, D, E, and K. When they are deficient, the gastrointestinal tract can easily age, the skin can become rough, and it can also affect the smoothness of bowel movements.

The last myth is "ignoring nutritional balance." 64% of women use oil when cooking, but most women still think that oil makes cooking easier and more fragrant, so only 17.2% of them pay attention to balanced nutrition. However, they think that as long as less oil is used, it will be balanced. More than half of this group of women use no more than 3 teaspoons of oil. Dr. Chen explained that in the clinic, he found that many women avoid fried foods and reduce eating out to reduce their intake of cooking oil. This seems healthy, but it also excessively restricts the amount of oil used when cooking. If they are not careful, they may not take in enough cooking oil, which may cause body fat accumulation or cause other health problems.

Weight also matters. Choose medium-chain fatty acid edible oils that are not easy to form body fat.

Consume at least 3 teaspoons of fat per day to meet the daily recommended intake of the six major nutrients (1)

According to the overall survey data, more than 76% of women who pay attention to fat intake management have significantly insufficient daily fat intake. Chiu Shih-han, a nutritionist at the Millennium Love Health Foundation, called for more attention to fat intake, as body fat has the function of providing energy and protection, and can maintain normal energy metabolism in the body. Therefore, she recommended the "Healthy 3 Teaspoons" principle, with a daily fat intake of at least 3 teaspoons, while taking into account balanced nutrition to protect health.

In addition to "quantity", another key is "quality". According to the results of survey statistics, women who pay attention to body fat management most often use the type of oil as the criterion for choosing edible oils, followed by the origin and fatty acid composition. Nutritionists remind that the standard for choosing edible oils in fat intake management should be based on the fatty acid group as the primary focus, especially choosing edible oils with medium-chain fatty acids, because fatty acids vary in length, and fatty acids of different lengths undergo different processing processes in the body. Among them, medium-chain fatty acids have smaller molecules and are easier to be absorbed and metabolized by the human body. They are not easy to accumulate under the skin or around the internal organs to form body fat.

"3 principles of healthy oil use" to manage body fat and be healthy

"3 principles for healthy oil use", 3 teaspoons of medium-chain oil per day

To summarize the above survey results, nutritionist Qiu Shihan also proposed the "3 Principles for Healthy Oil Use" to provide the public with principles for selection and consumption. First, "3 teaspoons". Consume at least 3 teaspoons of fat per day to meet the recommended daily fat intake and achieve a balanced intake of the six major nutrients. Second, "medium chain oil". Because the molecular structure of medium-chain fatty acids is smaller than that of fatty acids in general vegetable oils, they can be immediately broken down by the liver and converted into energy metabolism. With a balanced daily fat intake, choosing cooking oils containing medium-chain fatty acids is less likely to form body fat. Third, "small size". It is a good idea to buy cooking oil in smaller sizes, such as 1 litre, to keep the oil fresher and safer.

After Ms. Lin found out that the problem was due to insufficient daily fat intake, she followed the doctor's advice and began to increase the amount of fat in her three meals a day. She controlled her intake to at least three teaspoons (one teaspoon is 5 grams) of cooking oil a day and chose cooking oil containing medium-chain fatty acids. Her body fat percentage dropped to 28%, and her rough skin and constipation problems improved!