Types of Fats
Saturated fats are those fats found principally in animals, but also in large quantities in coconut and palm oils. The term saturated means that all of the carbon atoms in the long chains of these fats, often described as the carbon backbone, are connected to each other with single bonds. When the carbon chains of these fats have all the hydrogen atoms they can hold, they are said to be saturated with hydrogen, or simply saturated fats. These fats have high melting points and so are typically solid or nearly solid at room temperature, except for coconut and palm oils.
If there is one double bond present between any two carbon atoms, the fat is monounsaturated. The typical example of this sort of fat is oleic acid in olive oil. These fats have lower melting points and so are liquid at room temperature, but will solidify a little or go cloudy in the fridge. If there is more than one double bond present in the backbone, the fat is polyunsaturated. These fats have the lowest melting points and are liquid at room temperature and in the fridge. Many of these polyunsaturated fatty acids are what we call essential fatty acids. That is, they are essential for normal bodily function, but cannot be manufactured in the body. They must be taken in the diet. They can be thought of in the same way as vitamins.
There are two principal types of polyunsaturated fats, those with the first double bond at the third carbon from the omega end of the chain, that is omega-3 or n-3 fatty acids, and those with the first double bond at the sixth carbon from the omega end, that is omega-6 or n-6 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids are typified by fish oil and flaxseed oil, and the omega-6s by all the cooking oils with which we are familiar, namely sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, and so on. These polyunsaturated ‘cooking’ oils are very poor foods and should be avoided altogether in cooking. The monounsaturated fats are sometimes called omega-9 fats because their only double bond is at the ninth carbon from the omega end.
If there is one double bond present between any two carbon atoms, the fat is monounsaturated. The typical example of this sort of fat is oleic acid in olive oil. These fats have lower melting points and so are liquid at room temperature, but will solidify a little or go cloudy in the fridge. If there is more than one double bond present in the backbone, the fat is polyunsaturated. These fats have the lowest melting points and are liquid at room temperature and in the fridge. Many of these polyunsaturated fatty acids are what we call essential fatty acids. That is, they are essential for normal bodily function, but cannot be manufactured in the body. They must be taken in the diet. They can be thought of in the same way as vitamins.
There are two principal types of polyunsaturated fats, those with the first double bond at the third carbon from the omega end of the chain, that is omega-3 or n-3 fatty acids, and those with the first double bond at the sixth carbon from the omega end, that is omega-6 or n-6 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids are typified by fish oil and flaxseed oil, and the omega-6s by all the cooking oils with which we are familiar, namely sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, and so on. These polyunsaturated ‘cooking’ oils are very poor foods and should be avoided altogether in cooking. The monounsaturated fats are sometimes called omega-9 fats because their only double bond is at the ninth carbon from the omega end.
We now know that the melting points of these fats determine one of their important properties, that is their stickiness and flexibility when they are incorporated into the cell membranes of bodily cells. Body cells are surrounded by an envelope, the cell membrane, that is made up of fats. Our bodily cells are not static objects, they are constantly being re-made. Depending on where they are in the body, they may be rapidly being re-made, like in the gut or the skin, or only very slowly being re-made, like in bone and cartilage. But the fats which make up the outer layer of these cells come from the diet when they are re-made.
If the fats in the diet are mainly saturated, then the cells behave accordingly. That is their membranes will be hard and inflexible and tend to stick together. This one fact is really at the heart of the current epidemic in Western countries of diseases due to cells sticking together. Diseases due to clots, like heart attacks, strokes, and deep venous thrombosis, are all the result of this increased stickiness. And tissues and organs made up of these hard and inflexible cells become hard and inflexible.
So the big blood vessels coming out of the heart for instance become very rigid, in a process called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. So when the heart pumps out blood, the pressure rises much higher than if the arteries were soft and flexible. Hence high blood pressure (hypertension) results. If polyunsaturated fats were the main fats in the diet, the tissues would be soft and pliable instead, and so less likely to clot or result in high blood pressure. Hard cells are also more prone to degeneration, and degeneration is now known to be a key part of the development and progression of MS.
But there is another important part of the story with unsaturated fats. Fats form the basic building blocks of the immune system chemicals. A diet high in monounsaturated fats is essentially neutral for the immune system. One high in omega-6s results in immune chemicals which promote the inflammatory response, and one high in omega-3s results in chemicals which suppress the inflammatory response. Obviously, this will be important in a disease where inflammation is at the heart of the disease process.
For a more detailed analysis of the different types of good and bad fats, have a look here. This article is reproduced with permission from www.prohealth.com and the author, Joe Garma, who hosts a health blog at www.garmaonhealth.com.
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If the fats in the diet are mainly saturated, then the cells behave accordingly. That is their membranes will be hard and inflexible and tend to stick together. This one fact is really at the heart of the current epidemic in Western countries of diseases due to cells sticking together. Diseases due to clots, like heart attacks, strokes, and deep venous thrombosis, are all the result of this increased stickiness. And tissues and organs made up of these hard and inflexible cells become hard and inflexible.
So the big blood vessels coming out of the heart for instance become very rigid, in a process called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. So when the heart pumps out blood, the pressure rises much higher than if the arteries were soft and flexible. Hence high blood pressure (hypertension) results. If polyunsaturated fats were the main fats in the diet, the tissues would be soft and pliable instead, and so less likely to clot or result in high blood pressure. Hard cells are also more prone to degeneration, and degeneration is now known to be a key part of the development and progression of MS.
But there is another important part of the story with unsaturated fats. Fats form the basic building blocks of the immune system chemicals. A diet high in monounsaturated fats is essentially neutral for the immune system. One high in omega-6s results in immune chemicals which promote the inflammatory response, and one high in omega-3s results in chemicals which suppress the inflammatory response. Obviously, this will be important in a disease where inflammation is at the heart of the disease process.
For a more detailed analysis of the different types of good and bad fats, have a look here. This article is reproduced with permission from www.prohealth.com and the author, Joe Garma, who hosts a health blog at www.garmaonhealth.com.