Diet/Nutrition Part 3: DON'T NEGLECT DIETARY FATS

As mentioned in my last post, carbohydrate, protein and fat, are classified as MACRONUTRIENTS because these three nutrients are the only nutrients that supply the bodily systems with energy.  Of these three, FAT is the nutrient that, for many years, was perceived as the “bad guy” of Macronutrients.

Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I was highly influenced by the evidence “available at the time” that “low fat” diets were better and that a diet higher in FAT, especially Saturated Fat, was a major contributor to both heart and cardiovascular diseases.

Unfortunately, this information from years ago IS STILL very ingrained in the eating habits of a large percentage of the population. The food marketing and advertising efforts and health education programs of the medical community in the decades of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s has indoctrinated a few generations of people who are still passing on this information to their children.

The “COVER STORY” in the June, 2014 issue of Time Magazine is dedicated to dispelling all the incorrect information on FAT AND CHOLESTEROL that continue to be ingrained in the dietary information of many generations of Americans. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THIS.

This “bad guy” image needs to be corrected IF the importance of FAT (fatty acids to be more specific) in the diet is to change for the health benefits of all age groups.

FATS are important for optimal health, especially for young athletes who need the benefits of FAT for growth, maturation of all body systems as well as for the additional benefits of dietary FAT to positive adaptations to appropriate training programs.

FAT plays a key role in many of the bodily systems, such as providing energy (unlike carbs and protein that yield 4 calories of energy per gram, fat provides 9 calories of energy per gram), acting as a transporting agent for Vitamins A, D, E & K throughout the body, for anabolic hormone production and many other important benefits.

                                    TYPES OF FAT

There are two types of dietary FAT, Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Fats. The chemical difference between these two types results in the different roles that each plays in the body.

 Saturated Fats are molecules made up of many Carbon atoms that are bonded to MANY more Hydrogen atoms because they contain NO double bonds between carbon atoms, and therefore, are SATURATED with Hydrogen atoms because they tend to attract two Hydrogen molecules (their limit) for each of their Carbon molecules. Therefore, they are saturated with hydrogen molecules.

Saturated Fats, in most cases, involve animal food sources as well as oils that have been hydrogenated (turned into solids like margarine).

Unsaturated Fats are those molecules that have at least 1 “double-bond “between Carbon atoms (which limits the number of Hydrogen atoms they can bond to) and, therefore, limits the amount of hydrogen atoms it contains. Since Unsaturated Fats can have various amounts of these double bonds, some are MORE unsaturated than others. Unsaturated Fats, in most cases, involve plant sources. There are two types of unsaturated fatty acids: MONOUNSATURAED fatty acids (with a chemical structure that contains only ONE double-bond between two of the carbon atoms) and POLYUNSATURATED fatty acids (which contain two or more double-bonds between each carbon to carbon bond). Some polyunsaturated fatty acids must be obtained from the diet from either plant or animal sources because the body lacks the ability to duplicate the chemical structure of these fatty acids.

These types of polyunsaturated fatty acids that MUST be obtained through dietary sources are Omega-3 linolenic acid and Omega-6 linoleic acid. Although both these two fatty acids are needed for a healthy diet, the specific ratio is critically IMPORTANT. This is because Omega-6 fatty acids are PRO-INFLAMMATORY, which can be a negative factor affecting tissue and joint recovery and health IF too much Omega-6 is ingested daily. However, Omega-6 (linoleic acids) fatty acids are essential in the diet as the body cannot produce them. Benefits include: maintenance of plasma membranes, sustenance of cellular growth and reproduction, skin maintenance and general body functioning.

The ratio recommended by the Institute of Medicine suggest that a diet that includes a ratio of 7:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3. The range of recommendations for this ratio is extremely confusing. For instance, the references I examined for this article listed the “western diet typical in America has a ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids that ranges from 20:1 up to 30:1! Health Agencies warn that this level has been shown to promote the pathogenesis of many disease states as well as impacting body composition in a negative way (increases in body fat levels above the healthy limits).

Athletic Institutes, such as Australian Institute for Sports, have recommended the ideal Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio be in the range of 4:1 OR LOWER. However, studies concerned with body composition show that a good case can be made for a 1;1 ratio while Diet and Sports Nutrition recommends a 3:1 ratio for optimizing body composition.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to:  1) REDUCE INFLAMMATION and play a major role in 2) PREVENTING OBESITY by suppression of appetite, improvement of circulation, help in facilitation of nutrient delivery to skeletal muscle , help in shift of metabolism towards increase in lean tissue production, enhancement fat oxidation for energy expenditure and reduction of body fat stores.

Despite all these benefits to health and performance, it must be warned that OVER CONSUMPTION OF fish oils will more likely result in excess body fat being stored AND can cause immunosuppression and prolong bleeding time.

Sports Nutritionists advise athletes wishing to obtain maximal benefits, to obtain Omega-3 fatty acids (that include EPA and DHA) in a 1:1 to 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids.  Recommendations for inclusion of both Flax and Fish Oils in daily doses of 1 tablespoon Flax Oil and 5-10 grams of Fish Oil per day.

The 2008 conference of Australian Association for Exercise and Sport Science included in their dietary recommendations that Olive Oil and Omega-3 fish oils should be included in the athletes’ diet for recovery from training because of their inflammatory effects on muscles, tendons and joints.

                  SOURCES OF OMEGA-6 LINOLEIC “ESSENTIAL” FATTY ACIDS

Linoleic or Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in high levels in the following oils: safflower, sunflower, soy, sesame and flax.

Linoleic acids of the Omega-3 variety can be found in high levels in the following foods/oils:  dark green leafy vegetables, flax seeds and oils from flax, hemp, canola, soy and walnut sources.

                  SOURCES OF MONOUNSATURATED  and POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS

Monounsaturated sources include: olive oil, canola oil,  peanut oil , avocados and most nuts.

Polyunsaturated sources include: corn oil, safflower, sunflower and sesame seed oils, soy oil and most nuts and seeds

                  SOURCES OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

High contents of Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in: walnuts, most cold water fish like tuna, herring, sardines, salmon and mackerel, fish oil supplements containing high levels of both EPA and DHA.

                  DIETARY FATS TO AVOID

Trans Fats, which have been shown to promote obesity and also linked to inflammatory diseases like heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes.  THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE “BAD CHOLESTEROL” (LDL) AND DECREASE “GOOD CHOLESTEROL” (HDL) AND, of vital importance to athletes, INCREASE THE “C” REACTIVE PROTEIN (which is a marker of muscle damage and breakdown).

Trans Fats are usually plant oils that have been turned to solid forms through the process of hydrogenation. An example would be several types of margarines or butter replacements. It is wise to check food labels to make sure the food does NOT contain TRANS FATS, HYDROGENATED or PARTIALLY-HYDROGENATED oils.

                  RECOMMMENDED DAILY FAT INTAKE

Dietary Fat requirements can fluctuate depending on the type of sport (endurance vs. Power-Speed, etc.) and weight requirements of certain sports such as the weight class sports of wrestling, martial arts, weight-lifting, etc.  What is unique about the daily recommended amount of FAT for athletes is that the doses are NOT recommended based on the number of grams of Fat/ Kg/Body Weight. Instead, it is prescribed according to the PERCENTAGE of Fat in relation to the TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE of athletes per day.

The consensus for daily intake of FATS, according to the numerous, reliable sources that I found, seemed to recommend around 30% of the daily total of calories. So, the next question is: “How many calories should you or your athlete consume each day?  As noted above, it depends primarily on sport specific needs, body size and intensity and volume of training loads.

To best get a good idea of the number of grams of FAT needed for athletes according to body mass of individuals AND sport performance needs it might be useful to calculate this value using the chart below AND the recommendations for Protein and Carbohydrate from the previous posts.

First, let us use Male Wrestlers as an example. Looking at the chart below you can see that Male Wrestlers studied AVERAGE 30 cal/kg of body weight per day while Female Swimmers AVERAGE 3573 cal/kg of body weight per day.

So, let’s use the example of the Wrestler who weighs 70 kg (154 lbs). Multiplying 30 cal/kg /day gives him a total caloric intake of 2100 cal/day. 13% of the 2100 daily calories from Protein (273 calories divided by 4 cal/gram) would equal 68.25 grams of Protein/day. 33.7% of the 2100 calories from FAT (707.7 calories divided by 9 cal/gram) would equal 78.6 grams of Fat/day. 49% of the 2100 calories from Carbohydrate (1029 calories divided by 4 cal/gram) would equal 257.25 grams of Carbohydrate/day.

Another way of estimating is use the recommended guidelines given for Protein and Carbohydrate intakes on a daily basis. These were 1.2-1.8 grams of Protein per KG of Body Weight/ day AND 6-10 grams of Carbohydrate per KG of Body Weight / day. Using the 154 pound (70kg) Wrestler from above AND applying the lower end of ranges for Protein (1.2/Kg/body wt.) and Carbs (6/KG body wt.) we would come up with 1.2 x 70 =84 grams of Protein/day and 6 x 70=420 grams of Carbohydrate/day. These two values multiplied by 4 calories / gram would equal total amount of daily calories from these MACRONUTRIENTS, which would be 84 x 4 or 336 calories from Protein and 420 x 4 or 1,680 calories from Carbohydrate for a total of 2016 from both Protein and Carbohydrate.

We can see that the AVERAGE CALORIC INTAKE OF WRESTLERS FROM THE CHART IS GOING TO BE FAR BELOW THE GENERAL GUIDELINES recommended for athletes based on Protein and Carb needs WITHOUT EVEN ESTIMATING FAT intakes needs.

If you calculate your daily Protein and Carb needs by multiplying 1.2-1.8 for Protein needs (use 1.6 -1.8 for Endurance or Power Speed activities and the lower end of range for mixed activities/team sports that do not involve resistance training) AND 6-10 for Carb needs (lower end for mixed/Team sports THAT are NOT Endurance types or that do not require much resistance training). THAT WILL GIVE YOU BETWEEN 60 and 70% OF THE CALORIES YOU WILL NEED for training, recovery, adaptation and GROWTH/MATURATION. Fill in the other 30-35% (depending on activity needs that can be estimated by viewing the FAT average intakes for the sport or sport closest to your sport requirements) of your daily caloric intake with FAT calories (9 calories / gram).

For example, if you are a Male distance runner you can see from the chart that AVERAGE INTAKES of FAT for Male Distance Runners studied was 33%. So, use your Protein and Carb calculations using the recommended ranges to find 67% of your total caloric needs and then make up the other 33% needed for 100% daily caloric intake to give you the FAT estimation.

WHATEVER METHOD you use, IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO NEGLECT THE IMPORTANC OF FAT in the daily diet. Effort should be made to make sure FAT intake varies with at least 10% FROM SATURATED (animal sources, especially meats) with the other 20% or so with  Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids using either a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio AND making sure Omega-3 intake is between 3-5 grams/day.

This will insure the many benefits that Omega-3’s and other Fat sources offer hard training athletes.

Well Trained Sport Athletes	Average Total Calories /Day	Protein/gms	% of Daily Calories	Fat/gms	% of Daily Calories	Carbs/gms	% of Daily Calories
Male Dist. Runners	3170	114	14	116	33	417	52
Male Triathletes	4095	134	13	127	27	627	60
Male Basketball	32cal/kg/day= ex.80kg=2560	?	15	?	36	?	49
Football	3395	126	15	141	38	373	44
Soccer	4952	170	14	217	39	596	47
Swimmers	5222	166	12	248	43	596	45
Wrestlers	30cal/kg/day= ex.70kg=2100	?	13	?	33.7	?	53.5
Female Dist. Runners	2489	81	12	97	35	352	53
Female Swimmers	3573	107	12	164	41	428	48
Female Triathletes	62gms/kg/day= ex. 55kg=3410	?	11.8	?	29	?	59.2
Female Basketball	45.6gms/kg= ex.60kg=2736	?	16	?	34.7	?	45.3

Chart above taken from Table 7.5, pg. 207, Sports & Exercise Nutrition, text by McArdle, Kathch, F., Katch V.