Fat Intake

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses fat intake and people's concerns over ingesting high levels of fat. It begins by describing the importance of fats for normal body functioning. It then goes on to describe the risks of taking too many trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol into the body. The paper concludes with a letter to a college cafeteria regarding the health content of the food they provide.

From the Paper:

"According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, more than 12.5 million Americans have CHD, and more than 500,000 die from it each year. This makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. The DRI committee recommends that no more than 30 - 35 percent of calories should come from fat. The percentage may vary with the total calories. For example, a person who needs 2,000 calories per day, the recommended intake of saturated fat is 20 grams or less per day, and the recommended intake of total fat is 65 grams. To alert people about the importance of fat intake, the FDA has required saturated fat and dietary cholesterol to be listed on food labels since 1993, and, on January 1, 2006, the FDA began requiring the addition of trans fat on labels."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sizer, Frances and Ellie Whitney, "The Lipids: Fats, Oils, Phospholipids, and Sterols" Nutrition: concepts and controversies. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.
• Dietary Guidelines: Choose Sensibly. 2000. USDA and US Department of Health and Human Service. 8 Nov 2006. < http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2000/document/choose.htm>.
• Trans Fat Coming to a Label Near You! 3rd March 2004. FDA/CFSAN. 13 Nov 2006. <http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html>
• Enig, Mary G. Know Your Fats. Silver Spring, MD. Bethesda Press, 2000.

More papers on Fat Intake:

• Case Study # 113179 : "Nutrition Study: Comparing DRI Goals With Intake"
• Essay # 132283 : "Roles of Fat and Cholesterol in Overall Health"
• Essay # 44287 : "The Fat Of The Matter."

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