Diet fads come in faster than fashion weeks. One particular trend doing the rounds at gyms and on social media involves champions eating more fat. If it sounds too good to be true, it is because, as experts tell us, it is.
The logic: if you eat fat, your body burns fat, does not exactly add up.
What is it all about?
Aayrin Memon, a nutritionist at Bhailal Amin General Hospital, Vadodara, said that while the theory suggests that flooding your system with fats forces your body to switch gears and start using fat as its primary fuel source, it is crucial that you shed kilos while keeping your muscle intact.
The human body is complicated. Research does not hold up any magic advantage that comes from eating more fat. If weight loss does occur, it is only because higher levels of satiety nudge one into consuming fewer calories.
Veena V, chief clinical dietician at Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru, explains that such a diet consists of zero or negligible carbs and moderate protein intake, with a high fat (30-60 per cent) consumption. Thus, the body is forced to burn fat for energy. The sudden shift to this kind of diet, she said, helps the body in weight loss and appetite control, besides blood sugar regulation and improved cognitive performance. There can also be some neurological benefits, such as epilepsy management.
Dr Sunil Dwivedi, a cardiologist at Manipal Hospital, said three critical factors determine whether a high-fat diet will help or harm you: how many calories you’re eating, what type of fats you're consuming, and where those fats are coming from.
If you’re piling on both calories and fat, you are setting yourself up for weight gain, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and diabetes. Dwivedi said that even a single high-fat meal loaded with saturated fat can spike your blood pressure.
LDL- the bad cholesterol starts to climb, and triglycerides (fat swimming through blood) soar. Within weeks, blood pressure rises, cholesterol starts depositing in arteries, and the body begins its slide toward pre-diabetes.
Dwivedi says that diets rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (think avocados and nuts) are actually heart-friendly. The problem comes with saturated and trans fats (butter, coconut oil, fatty cuts of meat), which are disastrous for your cardiovascular system.
Dr. Sambit Kumar Bhuyan, a gastroenterologist at Manipal Hospital, Bhubaneshwar, highlights what consuming fat does to the digestive system. It essentially rewrites how your gut functions as it attacks all the good bacteria and crowds them out with inflammatory troublemakers, creating what scientists call dysbiosis.
A cascade of problems follows: your digestion suffers, your immune system weakens, and you can’t absorb nutrients properly. Your gut lining becomes leaky, allowing inflammation to spread throughout your body. Bhuyan often sees patients complaining of bloating, stomach pain, and erratic bowel movements, all of which are tell-tale signs of a high-fat diet and the body’s revolt against it.
The liver is also at risk. Even people who rarely drink alcohol can develop fatty liver disease from consistently overdoing dietary fat. Over time, this can progress to liver inflammation and scarring.
Memon said that a high-fat diet can be nutritionally bankrupt. Deficiencies in vitamin D, B vitamins (especially B1), fibre, iron, and calcium are common.
Supplements could fill some gaps, but your body absorbs and uses nutrients from whole foods far better than from pills. Veena adds that supplements can never be a long-term solution.
High-fat diets aren’t all doom
Memon said they can deliver some impressive short-term wins: rapid initial weight loss, better blood sugar control for some people, and fewer energy crashes throughout the day. Dwivedi added that ketogenic diets, which are essentially high-fat, ultra-low-carb approaches, can help people with uncontrolled diabetes manage their blood sugar.
But the science on what happens when you follow these diets long-term is not discussed. That’s why most professionals recommend them as short-term interventions, measured in months rather than years.
Veena said ‘lots of health issues’ can crop up if this is followed long-term. While not itself dangerous, it can lead to dangerous conditions, especially since each human body reacts differently. Also, the sudden shift might lead to constipation, giddiness, and fatigue; hence, the transition should be slow. Consider your genetics, goals, and preferences is the advice she has.
Is this diet for everyone?
As per experts, anyone dealing with chronic kidney disease, pancreatic disorders, liver disease, gallbladder problems, or inherited disorders that affect fat metabolism should steer clear of such a diet.
Experts champion healthy fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, and fish while keeping saturated fats in check. They are also unanimous in avoiding red meat and other sources of saturated animal fats, while encouraging plant-based fat sources.
Bhuyan says our gut health is connected to overall metabolic health. When we disrupt the delicate ecosystem in our digestive system with poor food choices, we set ourselves up for insulin resistance, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome.
It’s not a message many want to hear- but there is no quick fix for weight loss. There are, however, shortcuts to nutritional chaos and health complications.
If you are considering a high-fat diet, especially if you have any existing health conditions, consult a doctor or dietician. A truly healthy approach involves a balanced diet rich in fibre and healthy fats.