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Lecture Notes

Fats have multiple roles in our body. And essential fatty acids (there are a couple of them listed here, omega-6 and omega-3) are fatty acids that we must get from our food because our body does not produce them.

So, you're seeing a trend here. Every time we talk about essential nutrients or macronutrients we're talking about things that the body either does not make at all or doesn't make in great enough quantities to be used by the body.

And so your essential fatty acids—the linoleic and linolenic acids essential fatty acids—help with blood clotting, regulating blood pressure, and triggering immune responses among many other things. So these are integral to get into your diet.

Fats are also used for insulation and protection in your body. So you can think about fats as protecting you from extreme cold. They also provide protection for your vital organs.

And finally, fats are used to transport vitamins, which we haven't talk about yet, but you have fat soluble vitamins (like A, D, E, and K) that must be transported using fat that's in the body.