Both saturated and unsaturated fats are types of dietary fats. Let’s first understand what are dietary fats and how they affect our health in different ways.
Dietary Fats
Although fats have gained a bad reputation over the last decade it is vital for our health. The body requires fat for energy and for several vital activities such as vitamin and mineral absorption.
For decades, American supermarkets have been stocked with a variety of fat-free and low-fat food products. Because fat contains a lot of calories, cutting it out seems like a wonderful strategy to lose weight and enhance your health.
Unfortunately, additional sugars and refined carbs are frequently employed in processed foods to substitute fat. This results in a lot of excess calories with little to no nutritional value.
However, there is one type of harmful fat that you should avoid: trans fats. They have little nutritional value and are unhealthy for you. They are found in fried, processed, and even baked foods sometimes.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined in June 2015 that partly hydrogenated oils, the primary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not “generally recognized as safe” to consume. Food producers have three years to phase them out.
This procedure has already started. Trans fats are being phased out of the worldwide food supply by the World Health Organization (WHO) by 2023.
Saturated and unsaturated fats are two other forms of dietary fat. Rather than attempting to lose weight, it is more beneficial to learn more about these two forms of fat and how they affect your body.
Also read 9 Healthy Fats For Better Health
What are Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are densely packed fats that are solid at normal temperature because they lack double bonds in their chemical structures — because their structures include as many hydrogen atoms as possible and thus are “saturated” with hydrogen.
The majority of animal fats are saturated. Plant and fish fats are often unsaturated. The amounts of saturated and unsaturated fat in various diets vary. Many processed foods, such as those cooked in hydrogenated oil and sausage, are high in saturated fat. Some store-bought baked goods are also high in trans fats, particularly those utilizing partially hydrogenated oils. Animal fat products such as lard or schmaltz, fatty meats, and dairy products prepared with whole or reduced fat milk such as yogurt, ice cream, cheese, and butter are some examples of foods high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. Coconut oil and palm kernel oil are two examples of vegetable oils with significant saturated fat content.
Effect of Saturated Fats on Body
The dispute over whether saturated fat consumption is harmful to heart health has raged for decades. Consumers are particularly perplexed by the contradicting conclusions of research studies on the impact of saturated fat on heart health.
While it is apparent that saturated fats elevate blood lipids, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, as well as certain other heart disease risk factors, such as inflammation, it is uncertain if saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease.
For example, a 2014 review of 32 studies that included 27 randomized control trials involving over 650,000 people found no association between saturated fat intake and heart disease risk. The review concluded that “Current evidence does not clearly support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats.”
Other studies, however, have found that saturated fat consumption may raise the risk of heart disease.
Many medical organizations, including the World Health Organization, have issued guidelines advocating for a reduction in saturated fat consumption to promote health and minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease. Many review studies also propose a low-fat diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and death.
The normal American diet has far too many saturated fats.
What are unsaturated fats?
The chemical structure of unsaturated fats differs from that of saturated fats in that the fatty acids are loosely packed with one or more double bonds. At room temperature, these fatty acids are generally liquid. Unsaturated fats are classified into two types: monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated Fats (MUFA)
Monounsaturated fats contain only a single double bond in their chemical structure. The most commonly used foods that consist of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, and canola oil.
Polyunsaturated fats
This type of unsaturated fat contains two or more double bonds in its structure. They are also liquid at room temperature. Polyunsaturated fats include safflower oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
Omega-3 fatty acids help to keep the heart healthy, and foods high in omega-3 fats include nuts, seeds, and fatty or oily seafood.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids:
Vegetable oils containing omega-6 fats include canola, sunflower, soybean, walnut, and corn. Excessive consumption of omega-6 fatty acid-rich meals has been related to inflammation, a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and even obesity.
Effects of Unsaturated Fats on Body
According to Harvard Medical School, there is insufficient evidence that saturated fat increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, data suggests that substituting polyunsaturated fats for saturated fat may lessen the risk, according to a 2017 study. That is not the case if saturated fat is replaced with sugar and processed carbs.
Some oils may be more beneficial to your health than others. Canola oil, despite being an unsaturated fat, is highly processed. According to a 2018 study, research suggests that it may be harmful to one’s health. It is advisable to consume oils in moderation and to vary your intake of different types of oils.
According to a 2016 study, regularly heating vegetable oils might reduce antioxidant activity and increase free radical generation, potentially resulting in negative health effects. To preserve the nutritious value of vegetable oils, avoid overheating or burning them.
The Recommended Levels of Saturated and Unsaturated Fats
Now that we’ve established the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, let’s look at the recommended daily fat consumption.
In humans, the dietary reference intake (DRI) for fat is 20-35 percent of daily fat calorie intake. So, if you consume 2000 calories per day, your daily fat intake would be between 44 and 77 grams. However, certain types of fats are recommended to be consumed in greater quantities than others due to their health benefits:
- Monounsaturated Fat (MUFA) – 15 to 20 percent
- Polyunsaturated Fat (PUFA) – 5 to 10 percent
- Saturated Fat – less than 10 percent
- Trans Fat – NIL
- Cholesterol – less than 300 mg per day
Given the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, as well as the health benefits of saturated vs unsaturated fats, it is best to limit saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total daily calories.
The Bottom Line
Fat is an important part of a healthy diet, but not all fats are equally beneficial. For a nutritious diet, avoid trans fat as much as possible, eat saturated fat in moderation, and try to boost your consumption of foods high in unsaturated fat, like avocados and salmon.
| Unhealthy sources of fat | Healthy sources of fat |
| margarine | olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil |
| ice cream, icing, and other high-fat, sugary foods | unsweetened whole or low-fat yogurt |
| high-calorie fatty beverages such as whole chocolate milk | avocados |
| fried foods | unsweetened coconut |
| vegetable shortening | olives |
| packaged high-fat foods such as chips and cookies | nuts, seeds, and nut butter |
| refined vegetable oils, including canola oil | high-fat fish such as salmon and sardines |