Why are some fats more harmful than others?
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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It is believed that fats are the main enemies of our heart and the cause of a number of diseases. However, our body needs fat as a fuel for energy. Why, after all, fats are not equally useful for our body?
According to the new hypothesis, published in the pages of The Quarterly Review of Biology, the answer to this question may be the interaction of fats with microorganisms in the human intestine.
According to a study by experts from the University of New Mexico and Northwestern University, some groups of fats can contribute to the growth of the number of bacteria in the digestive system.
Our body has evolved, so that the immune system is able to prevent inflammation of the intestines, which bacteria can cause.
"Despite the fact that the information on the study of inflammatory processes caused by the interaction of fats with the intestinal microflora is sufficient, yet the mechanism of the effect of fats on the distribution of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract is not clear," write the researchers.
Unsaturated fats are powerful antimicrobial substances. They react with the protective membrane of bacteria, weakening it.
Contain unsaturated fats in nuts, avocados, olive oil and fish. They are able to lower the bad and increase good cholesterol. According to the research of specialists from Harvard University and the University, in the case of replacing the high-carb diet with fat, the state of the cardiovascular system improves and the blood pressure decreases.
For several years, scientists have been studying the interaction of fats and intestinal bacteria, as well as the so-called "early warning system", which protects the body from the products of interaction of harmful fats and microorganisms.
Specialists came to the conclusion that the inflammatory processes of animal fats, which are abundant in fried foods and snacks from fast food, stimulate the inflammatory processes. They are called proinflammatory, they have no antimicrobial properties.
When the body gets saturated fats, the human body is waiting for "uninvited guests" to respond to the attack of bacteria by the inflammatory immune process.
Researchers do not insist on the correctness of their hypothesis, because these are only assumptions, which need to be confirmed by more in-depth studies in this area.