Fett - rekommendationer, kostvanor och konsumtion mellan 1935 och 2009
This literature research is meant to answer the following questions:
? What was the Swedes consumption of fat from 1935 to 2009?
? How has the fat consumption corresponded to the current recommendations?
? What is LCHF and which are the main advantages and disadvantages?
Fat supplies us with energy, isolates and protect organs from bumps and punches. Fat is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. The properties of a fat depend on its structure. The most common fat in human food is triacylglycerides. Linolic acid and linoleic acid are the essential fatty acids and have to be consumed.
The information was mainly obtained from literature from the Swedish National Food Administration and from the library at SLU. Jordbruksstatistisk årsbok from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Central Bureau of Statistics has also been very helpful.
The fat consumption in E% increased in the beginning of the sixties but soon after, it decreased again. The total consumption of fat in g did not vary much from 1935 to 2009. The consumption of butter greatly decreased after the fifties but around 2000 it was stabilized. The consumption of margarine duplicated from 1950 to 1982 and was halved to 2006. The ice cream consumption increased by more than 1900 % from 1950 to 1993.
The fat consumption (E%) has always exceeded the recommendations but in 2005 the consumption decreased to a value close to the recommended.
The idea of the LCHF diet is to increase the fat intake (to 75 E%) and to decrease the carbohydrate intake (to 5 E%). Advantages pointed out by the followers are reduction in body weight, prolonged feeling of fullness and an enhanced feeling of energy. Disadvantages according to the Swedish Nutrition Recommendations (SNR) are the increased intake of saturated fat and cholesterol.