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Nutrition Information
Dietary Fat
An essential macronutrient for hormones and cell membranes, with published intake guidance from the Dietary Guidelines and the joint sports-nutrition position statement.
Dietary fat supplies energy, carries fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and provides the building blocks for hormones and cell membranes. Sources range from oils, nuts, seeds and oily fish to dairy and meat.
What published research reports
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 recommend that adults take 20–35% of daily calories from fat, limit saturated fat to under 10% of calories, and replace it where possible with unsaturated fats from sources such as olive oil, nuts and fish. The joint ACSM/Academy/Dietitians of Canada position statement (2016) reports the same 20–35% range for athletes and cautions that chronic intakes below 20% of calories can reduce intakes of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids without documented performance benefit.
References
- US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position statement: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. 2016. PubMed
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