Fat and Nutrient Absorption

Question
How does having too much body fat (or too little) affect the way vitamins, minerals, and nutrients are absorbed?

Jasmin Driggers
Age 15

Answer
Jasmin,
There are many health problems that can go along with having too little or too much body fat.  As far as the way vitamins and minerals are absorped it depends on what type they are.  There are two types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble.  Water soluble dissolve in water and are carried in the blood stream and are not stored in the body.  Fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fat and are carried into your blood stream and throughout the body attached to body chemicals made with fat.  Your body can store fat soluble vitamins in body fat but as long as you are getting what you need daily they do not need to be stored so the amount of body fat one has wouldn't effect this.  
Kim Tessmer, RD LD
www.Nutrifocus.net

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