Since the 1980s, saturated fat has been considered the main enemy of health – but recent scientific research suggests that it is not so simple. Ultimately, in moderation, saturated fatty acids are not only safe for the body but also beneficial.
Foods that are high in saturated fatty acids are various animal fats, including meat, lard, butter, cheese, milk, and cottage cheese. Examples of herbal products are coconut and palm oil. What are their benefits and harms?
Saturated fatty acids
Saturated fats are substances and foods that contain significant amounts of saturated fatty acids. Recall that each fat molecule consists of a molecule of glycerol and three fatty acids. Glycerol is the same in all cases, while fatty acids are not.
The word “saturated” means that the chain of carbon atoms (the type of fatty acid depends on its length) is filled with hydrogen atoms and does not have double or triple bonds. In turn, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds, respectively.
Note that most fat-containing foods contain a combination of several types of fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids predominate in animal products, while unsaturated fatty acids predominate in vegetable products. In addition, the benefits and harms of saturated fat depend on the length of its carbon chain.
Recommended daily values
On average, nutritionists recommend consuming up to a third of calories in the form of fat – about 60-65 g per day. At the same time, the amount of saturated fatty acids should be no more than 20 g per day, and sometimes this figure decreases to 15 and even up to 10 g – for example, with a high level of cholesterol in the blood.
Regular excess of these norms is associated with the development of heart disease and with a set of excess weight (since fats are extremely high in calories). On the other hand, foods with saturated fats by themselves do not raise cholesterol levels.
Saturated fats in food
As we mentioned above, fatty acids in foods are rarely represented exclusively in one variant – in most cases, saturated fatty acids account for 30 to 50% of all fatty acids. The top saturated fat foods are:
1. Butter
Butter is a classic example of saturated fat. It is 80% fatty acids, more than half of which are saturated. It also contains fat-soluble vitamins, primarily vitamin A and vitamin D.
2. Ghee
Ghee is a product of the processing of ordinary butter by boiling over low heat. Since this evaporates the water (and the impurities burn out and precipitate), the fat content of ghee can be up to 100% by weight. Saturated fatty acids account for up to 60%.
3. Cheese
Most types of cheese contain at least 30% fat, half of which is saturated fatty acids. In addition, the cheese contains a lot of calcium (100 g completely covers the daily requirement), as well as other minerals and vitamins – magnesium, iron, and B vitamins.
4. Sour cream
Since sour cream is made from cream, it is similar in composition to butter but contains more water. A fat content figure of 20% indicates that a fifth of the product is fatty acids, 60% of which are saturated fats.
5. Dairy products
The higher the fat content of milk, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, or other dairy products, the more saturated fatty acids they contain. A glass of whole milk has 10 grams of fat (including 6 grams of saturated fat), while skim milk has almost none.
6. Fatty meat
On average, about a third of the total mass of fat in meat is saturated fatty acids. Chicken breast contains 4 g of fat (including 1 g of saturated fat), lean beef – 10-15 g of fat (of which 4-6 g of saturated fat), fatty pork – up to 30% fat (and 9-10 g of saturated fatty acids).
7. Sausages, and semi-finished products
Depending on the recipe, sausages, and various meat products can contain from 20 to 40% fat. As in other cases with animal fat, a third falls on saturated fatty acids. Since processed foods are processed, they may also contain trans fats.
8. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is the leader in saturated fat content. 100 g contains up to 35 g of fat, 90% of which is saturated fatty acids with a short carbon chain – thanks to which coconut oil is absorbed as quickly as possible and provides benefits (when consumed in moderation).
9. Palm oil
If coconut oil is made from the pulp of coconuts, then palm oil is made from palm kernels (moreover, we are talking about different plants). Such oil requires purification and refining processes to remove the bright color and specific taste. As a result, 100 g of palm oil accounts for up to 50 g of saturated fat.
10. Chocolate
Since cocoa beans (dark chocolate), cocoa butter (white), or milk are used to make chocolate, it may contain saturated fats. On average, we are talking about 30 g of fat per 100 g of chocolate, 60-70% of which is saturated fatty acids.
Benefits and harms
Regular consumption of high amounts of long-chain saturated fat (16 or more) is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases, according to a large-scale study of 75,000 people’s diets.³
First of all, we are talking about saturated fatty acids contained in animal products – meat and fat. In dairy products, fats have an average carbon chain length, while in vegetable saturated fats they have a short one (on the order of 5 atoms).
At the same time, the consumption of foods with saturated fatty acids of medium or short carbon chain is associated with a decrease in the risk of myocardial infarction. In particular, the use of such fats in frying (ghee) helps to avoid the risk of trans fats in the product.
Saturated fats are a type of fatty acids that have only single bonds in the carbon chain. Foods with saturated fats are animal fat, meat, and dairy products, and two types of vegetable oils – coconut and palm oil.