New perspectives challenge the idea that saturated fats cause heart disease
In science, sometimes a new perspective can turn our interpretation of the data upside-down, and necessitate a paradigm shift.
Jan 22, 2021
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In science, sometimes a new perspective can turn our interpretation of the data upside-down, and necessitate a paradigm shift.
Jan 22, 2021
1
14
An unsaturated fat is a fat or fatty acid in which there are one or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain. A fat molecule is monounsaturated if it contains one double bond, and polyunsaturated if it contains more than one double bond. Where double bonds are formed, hydrogen atoms are eliminated. Thus, a saturated fat is "saturated" with hydrogen atoms. In cellular metabolism hydrogen-carbon bonds are broken down – or oxidized – to produce energy, thus an unsaturated fat molecule contains somewhat less energy (i.e fewer calories) than a comparable sized saturated fat. The greater the degree of unsaturation in a fatty acid (ie, the more double bonds in the fatty acid), the more vulnerable it is to lipid peroxidation (rancidity). Antioxidants can protect unsaturated fat from lipid peroxidation. Unsaturated fats also have a more enlarged shape than saturated fats.[citation needed]
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