What are lipids:

At the carbohydrate stage, lipids are molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. What differentiates them is their hydrogen-to-oxygen ratio. It is 2:1 for carbohydrates and 18.3:1 for lipids. These are grouped together in the "lipid family": fats and oils.

In our body:

First, we need to put an end to a persistent idea that lipids = fat = body fat. Dietary fats do not directly convert into body fat. Ultimately, what are body fats? Energy. A store of energy (kcal), which comes from the total ration of kcal consumed daily. Unless there is a metabolic problem, if energy intake exceeds energy expenditure, the surplus is stored. This is an evolutionary legacy found throughout the animal kingdom. Anyone walking in the mountains at the end of summer and encountering a marmot will see that it is much "chubbier" than in the spring. It has volunteered its time to find energy-rich foods to store the excess and is thus preparing for hibernation. We do not hibernate, but we have preserved our genetic heritage. We have the ability to store energy "just in case"... In case tomorrow, in a week, we do not have anything to eat. It's survival. The only way we can store a large amount of energy is to "store" it in the form of subcutaneous body fat, in cells called adipocytes.

Overabundance:

The problem, very modern and very Western, is that we are evolving in an environment of food abundance . For most privileged populations in the West, there is no longer a food shortage. The ability to store energy in the form of body fat is no longer useful. It is as if our ability to survive causes our downfall through various pathologies. Thus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014, more than 1.4 billion adults (18 years and older) were overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014 and kills 2.8 million people worldwide each year. Let us make a necessary digression by resolving a deadly global paradox: some die from undernutrition, others become ill from "overnutrition." We cannot question sports nutrition at the heart of modern diets without questioning the problems underlying the organization of current food consumption. The overabundance of food supply has become a public health problem. We eat too much. Too much, too often, and of whatever kind. It is not true to say that we gain weight because we eat too much fat. Overall, we gain weight because we eat too many rich foods. The daily calorie intake is too high. Whether this energy comes from carbohydrates or fats, if there are too many, we store the surplus. The overabundance of food supply has become a public health problem. We eat too much. Too much, too often, and of whatever kind. It is not true to say that we gain weight because we eat too much fat. Overall, we gain weight because we eat too many rich foods. The daily calorie intake is too high. Whether this energy comes from carbohydrates or fats, if there is too much, we store the surplus. The overabundance of food supply has become a public health problem. We eat too much. Too much, too often, and of whatever kind. It is not true to say that we gain weight because we eat too much fat. Overall, we gain weight because we eat too many rich foods. The daily calorie intake is too high. Whether this energy comes from carbohydrates or fats, if there is too much, we store the surplus.

It is true that lipids provide a certain amount of energy (9 kcal/g) and therefore contribute to increasing the daily energy intake, but they are certainly not the only cause of the problem. In 1998, Walter Willett showed that a reduction in lipid intake in a given population does not necessarily lead to a reduction in their body fat (Willett WC, "Is diety fat a major determinant of body fat?", The American Society for Clinical Nutrition). On the other hand, we know that Greenland Eskimos and Japanese people who have a diet highly rich in fish oil and marine mammals have an exceptionally low rate of cardiovascular disease (Eric Dewailly, "n-3 Fatty acids and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the Nunavik Inuit," American Society for Clinical Nutrition). So, not only are lipids not as problematic as we might think, but we also see that they are very useful. If they prove to be good sources, they play a highly functional role.

What is a cell?

Let's go back to the basics of physiology. What is a cell? It is the fundamental structural element of any organism. It is a space containing cytoplasm, the site of cellular activity, delimited by a plasma membrane. The role of this membrane is, on the one hand, to isolate the heart of the cell (liquid medium) and to ensure exchanges with its environment. To separate two liquids, nature has found nothing better than to put fat between the two. The plasma membrane is made up of 50% lipids. It is easy to understand that the lipids necessary for cellular structure have a direct link with the lipids consumed on the plate. A diet rich in lipids of high nutritional value, in fact, contributes to proper cellular function.

Fatty acids:

In a simple way, we can consider two categories of fatty acids forming lipids: saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids. What "saturates" a fatty acid is the presence of a double bond between the carbon atoms. Saturated fatty acids are generally found in the animal kingdom, with the exception of coconut oil and palm oil. Unsaturated fatty acids are more commonly found in the plant kingdom, with the exception of oily fish. Even if since the 2000s, the scientific community has tended to question the impact of consuming foods rich in saturated fatty acids (animal fats) on health, we prefer to remain vigilant regarding the nutritional advice to adopt and believe that it is better to favor foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids.

There are two subcategories of unsaturated fatty acids: monounsaturates (omega 9: n-9) and polyunsaturates (omega 3 and 6: n-3 and n-6). They all have beneficial effects on the body when consumed in certain proportions. The body is capable of synthesizing omega 9 from saturated fatty acids. Omega 3 and 6 are called "essential" because the body cannot produce them (Essential Fatty Acids: EFAs). Like any essential element, if they are not an integral part of the individual's diet, and by extension that of the athlete, they will inevitably be lacking.

Essential for our body:

Let's return here to our introduction and the concept of incorporation: the quality of what we eat depends on the quality of our metabolic exchanges. Often delivered by athletes seeking to "dry" and hunting for fat, EFAs, including omega-3s, are not consumed. However, they are constituents of the cell membrane and therefore directly participate in the quality of intercellular exchanges. In other words, they are essential to all metabolic functions by directly participating in cell construction, artery protection, having anti-inflammatory capacities and slowing recovery. They are in fact essential to the health of any athlete. But, again, the current diet does not provide the ideal proportions of EFAs. Because the most important element is not so much the quantity of EFAs, but the n-6/n-3 ratio. We know that omega-6s trigger pro-inflammatory reactions unlike omega-3s which have more of an anti-inflammatory role. All health professionals recommend a reduction of this ratio. It would seem that man has evolved for millennia with an omega 6/omega 3 ratio of around 2 to 1. However, the modern Western diet naturally leads us towards a ratio close to 16/1. (The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acid ratio It would seem that man has evolved for millennia with an omega 6/omega 3 ratio of around 2 to 1. However, the modern Western diet naturally leads us towards a ratio close to 16/1. (The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acid ratio It would seem that man has evolved for millennia with an omega 6/omega 3 ratio of around 2 to 1. However, the modern Western diet naturally leads us towards a ratio close to 16/1. (The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acid ratio
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy , Volume 56, Number 8, Pages 365-379
AP Simopoulos. The current consensus is to restore this ratio by increasing the nutritional intake of foods rich in omega-3.

Misconceptions:

However, as with other aspects of nutrition, there are many misconceptions. Here's an example: it's generally accepted that olive oil is good for your health. This seems obvious: it contains omega-3s. But is it an excellent source? Not necessarily. The n-6/n-3 ratio in olive oil is around 13/1. It's therefore an oil to consume because it's a source of fatty acids, but with the understanding that it's not "perfect."

Given their specific health benefits, n-3s should be a daily staple for athletes. Here is a non-exhaustive list of omega-3 sources: oily fish, flax seeds and oils, hemp, walnuts, spinach, lamb's lettuce, avocados, watercress, etc.

It is imperative that the athlete regularly includes oilseeds (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc.) in his diet; they will provide him with a significant intake of "good" fats and will be valuable allies for performance.

We recommend that athletes monitor their essential fatty acid intake. These should be an integral part of their diet, whether they are in the development, training, or competitive phase, and whether they are strength or endurance athletes. High-density lipid intake is estimated at around 1 g/kg.d.

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Tags: Lipids, lipids