Fat Blood?

Hi,

I saw an advertisement over the weekend where they talked about fat blood or the amount of fat circulating in your blood.  The image was one of fat globules floating in your bloodstream. 

While it was dramatic, it wasn't accurate. 

Fat does not circulate in your blood stream.  Fatty acids do.  If fat was circulating you would probably die within a few minutes.  That is because fat globules are too big to fit in all but the biggest arteries and capillaries. 

So they would plug up your blood flow pretty quick and no circulation = no life. 

So this brings us to the point of fatty acids.  And we need fatty acids circulating in our bloodstream.  We need them for regulating blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, immune and inflammatory responses, energy because of the large amount of ATP they can have. 

So sounds like a good thing.  Problem is, too much of  a good thing can be a problem. 

Eating too much saturated fat is one of the major risk factors for heart disease.  It will also cause a build up of cholesterol in the arteries.  This makes it harder for the body to pump the blood throughout your body and can eventually lead to a heart attack or heart disease. 

This buildup also causes you to gain weight and is one of the contributors to obesity.  There is some evidence that a large intake of some fats can lead to cancer. 

So what is the take away here.  You do need some fats in your diet.  You do need fatty acids circulating for your overall health. 

You have to pay attention to the types of fats you eat (more on this later) and not eat so much fat in the first place. 

Stay tuned for more information on how to reduce your fat blood.

Thanks,

Mike Val
http://www.valshealthsite.com/