6 Weird Ways Your Body Tells You It Needs More Fat, According To Research
Fat isn't the enemy — in fact, your body may be quietly begging for more of it.
Vicky Hladynets | Unsplash When we talk about fat in a diet, a lot of people will immediately think about weight gain. It makes sense to some extent — eating fat makes you fatter. This, however, is not entirely true.
Research by the World Health Organization found that the body requires a healthy amount of fats on a daily basis and when you avoid exceeding the daily recommended fat intake, then you will not be at risk of gaining weight. It is also important to realize that there are different types of fats, some are considered healthy and others are considered unhealthy.
Unsaturated fats are considered to be beneficial for the body and sometimes even considered as healthy food to lose weight, along with protein and foods that are high in other nutrients.
Trans fats are considered the unhealthiest type of fat you can consume. Saturated fats are not considered healthy or particularly unhealthy, but should be consumed in limited amounts, as high amounts of saturated fats are known to contribute to heart disease and other problems.
Here are six weird ways your body tells you it needs more fat, according to research:
1. You frequently struggle with inflammation of the joints
Inflammation of the joints is the primary cause of joint-related damage and can also greatly contribute to the pain, stiffness, and a significant reduction in joint-related mobility.
While some fats, such as trans fats, may contribute to worse inflammation in the body, other fats, like unsaturated ones, with omega-3 fats being the primary suspect here, can cause inflammation to be reduced.
One study by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center concluded that omega-3 fatty acids might provide relief from inflammation similar to NSAIDs.
2. You suffer from scaly and dry skin
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Dry skin is a common condition that millions of people suffer from — and the solution to this problem may be as simple as including more healthy fat foods in your diet.
According to a study by Oregon State University, skin cells are surrounded by two fat layers, and healthy fats have a direct impact on skin health. They continue to explain that omega-3 fatty acids should be the most important part of your diet if you wish to have good skin — the anti-inflammatory properties will help to reduce puffiness.
3. You have a vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble molecule, which means the vitamin cannot be absorbed by the body through water, but only through fats.
If you suffer from brittle bones, muscle weakness, mood changes, chronic pain, reduced endurance, and high blood pressure, you may be suffering from a vitamin D deficiency, as reported by Medical News Today. Even if you take vitamin D supplements, you still need to include an adequate amount of healthy fats in your diet to ensure your body can absorb this nutrient.
4. You suffer from hormone-related issues
As we have mentioned before, vitamin D requires fats in order to be adequately absorbed by your body. Vitamin D also plays a crucial role in the maintenance of the body’s hormonal balance. When vitamin D levels are low, hormone-related issues may occur.
According to fitness coach Dr. Becky Gillaspy, fats also serve as a building block for membranes of all cells in the human body, and may also have a more direct contribution to make toward balancing hormones. The document continues to explain that fat helps with the transfer of hormones into cells.
5. You constantly feel hungry
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Even though fat is often considered to be amongst the list of weight gain foods, it should be noted that fat is also known to assist with weight loss in the long term and can contribute to improved satiety.
Many studies, including this one from The University of Chicago, have proven high-fat diets to be beneficial for weight loss and to keep a person full; thus, if you constantly find yourself feeling hungry, it may be a sign that you are eating too little fat.
6. You regularly suffer from mental fatigue
There are numerous ways in which fats can affect the mind and overall brain health. When the brain is affected by inflammation, it could lead to mental fatigue, depression, and many other mental health issues, as reported by a 2019 study.
Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce levels of inflammation throughout the entire body. Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to depression and mental fatigue, a vitamin that is absorbed through fats.
The human body requires fat to be consumed daily, which contributes to a variety of health effects. The problem is, people often fail to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fats and tend to fail to add an adequate amount of healthy fats into their daily diet.
In this post, we provided six symptoms that people often develop when they fail to eat enough healthy fats. If you suffer from these symptoms, try adding more nuts, seeds, and fatty fish to your diet.
Donna Begg is an expert editor, researcher, and analyst affiliated with Consumer Health Digest, where she works with beauty and health experts.
