Are Essential Fatty Acids A Helpful Bodybuilding Diet Macronutrient For Muscle Gain?
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By :
Francesco Castano
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The popularity increase of healthy eating in recent years has promoted research in natural nutrients that can serve to enhance long term health, with one of the most widely advertised being Essential Fatty Acids (EFA), which are beneficial fats that have been shown to suppress cholesterol, boost immune system function, and assist in sustaining normal body function (such as smooth skin). Therefore, these Essential Fatty Acids have become common in the diets of many, and have even caught the attention of the bodybuilding community as a method of offering energy while enhancing long term health.
But will fat actually benefit muscle building? This is a question many bodybuilders have been asking, especially considering how some have proclaimed that certain fat sources can assist in hormone increase, and will therefore improve muscle building when integrated properly within a bodybuilding diet routine. This idea has especially captured the attention of many bodybuilders who have developed a pessimistic view of carbohydrates due to having gained substantial body fat on standard carbohydrate focused muscle building diet plans.
I value the health benefits offered by EFA sources, and highly recommend using these as part of any diet plan, regardless of whether bodybuilding is a goal, and therefore all should integrate Essential Fatty Acids for health benefits. Yet, in terms of muscle building, carbohydrates are far more anabolic as compared with dietary fat, and therefore many who switch to a diet system which uses fat as the chosen energy source will find that muscle growth is hampered, sometimes dramatically. The negativity linked with carbohydrates which have made higher fat diet routines en vogue are not related to an inherent harm originating from carbohydrate sources (as fruit and raw honey, two examples of carbohydrate sources, are extraordinarily healthy), but instead due to improperly compiled diet routines which favor carbohydrates as an excessive percentage of total food intake, which causes body fat to increase far more quickly than necessary. Instead of reducing carbohydrates to a more balanced macronutrient ratio in comparison to protein and fat, many bodybuilders instead nearly abandon carbohydrates outright, and find that their results significantly suffer.
Some say saturated fat plays a role in hormone production, and utilizing a small portion of total calories from saturated fat is acceptable for those who do not suffer from any genetic predisposition towards or history of heart disease or cardiovascular dysfunction, but the likely negative health side effects originating from large levels of saturated fat outweighs any muscle building hormone related benefits, therefore of all nutrients, saturated fat should comprise the smallest overall percentage. A bodybuilder who avoids all forms of saturated fat can achieve dramatic bodybuilding progress, as I gained over 60 pounds of muscle mass with an extremely low saturated fat intake, and I do not feel that dietary fat in general, including the saturated variety, will offer a substantially positive impact on muscle building, but will derail progress if significant carbohydrates are sacrificed in favor of this added fat consumption.
A prudent and properly constructed diet routine will focus upon a variety of nutrients for the best possible health benefits and muscle building progress, including carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, with saturated fat integrated only in moderation (for those who are not predisposed to cardiovascular related medical issues), and when doing so, the downside of carbohydrates that haunt the progress of many bodybuilders will be averted, and the body will receive a wide spectrum of nutrients for optimal function, both in terms of immune system optimization, and total muscle gained.
A final word of warning - for those bodybuilders who currently integrate fat into their diet routine, by all means avoid unhealthy forms of fat, such as trans fat, as these types of fats are destined to deposit themselves within blood vessels, producing life threatening cardiovascular difficulties. The majority of health issues experienced in western civilization are linked to poor behavior, including food selection, with harmful fat consumption reaching epidemic proportions due to the popularity of fast food and boxed unperishable food items that utilize terrible additives. Yet, with a great number of tasty food choices available that are also extremely beneficial to muscle building and health, there is no worthwhile reason to design a diet plan based upon damaging foods, even when eating at a restaurant. Weight lifting is not only a hobby based on maximum muscle gain, but also involves enhancing long term health and well being, therefore choosing the proper collection of foods is no less important than the weight training workout routine itself.
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Author Resource:-
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a diet and weight training program teaching the exact techniques for muscle gain without supplements or drugs. He also owns FatVanish.com, where you will find his natural fat loss program.
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2009-07-30 01:28:41
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