Joseph R Anticaglia MD
Medical Advisory Board
Overheard in a grocery store’s checkout counter: “Can you understand the labels on food packages? It’s hard to know what’s healthy and what’s not. Good fats — bad fats. Today they’re good. Tomorrow they’re bad.”
Bad fats — good fats have been confusing to both the consumer and the scientific community. In the 1970’s and years thereafter, fats were the villains increasing the risk of cardiac disease, diabetes, hypertension and strokes.
The Atkins’s diet of the 70’s advised people to eat as much fat as they wanted (surf ‘n’ turf, lobster in melted butter-enjoy). But he emphasized that people on this diet should avoid all forms of carbohydrates from sugar in your morning coffee to pasta in the evening. The American Medical Association lambasted Dr. Robert Atkins because of his bizarre approach to losing weight.
More recently, Dr. Robert Lustig has demonized carbohydrates as the villains that increase the likelihood of heart attacks, diabetes and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Fats have been bad mouthed because they’ve been associated with obesity, bad cholesterol (LDL) and heart disease. But we need fats to nourish, grow and maintain our body.
Fat is a macronutrient that the body requires in relatively large amounts along with carbohydrates, proteins and water. It’s important for brain and nervous system development during infancy and it is an important source of energy throughout our lifetime.
Good Fats — Bad Fats!
Fats are another name for lipids and they’re made up of building blocks called fatty acids. The overwhelming majority of fats in the body, 90-95%, are in the form of triglycerides (see below). Fats can be divided into three types:
- Saturated fats
- Unsaturated fats
- Monounsaturated fats
- Polyunsaturated fats
- Industrial Trans fats
Saturated fats (fatty acids)
Saturated fats, in general, are solids at room temperature. They’re found in animal products such as fatty beef, butter and cheese, as well as in two vegetable oils — coconut and palm oil. Some saturated fats are good, others are bad.
Eating too much of unhealthy, saturated fats have been associated with obesity, the creeping up of “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood and inflammation. Bad fats are precursors to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance–diabetes and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome.
But not all saturated fats are bad. We need them in our diet to raise the “good” HDL cholesterol in the blood and to carry out many other functions. Most medical and dietary associations recommend limiting the intake of saturated fats, increasing unsaturated fats in your diet and understanding that certain saturated fats are acceptable in your diet.
Chemically, the carbon chain is packed (saturated) with hydrogen atoms.
Unsaturated fats (fatty acids)
In contrast to saturated fats, these fats are liquid at room temperature. They do not come from animal products but from plants and fish. They’re considered good fats.
They increase good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood and reduce bad LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. They’re considered healthy or good fats because they reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart attacks.
With unsaturated fats, the carbon chain is not completely packed with hydrogen atoms. There is one or more empty slots for hydrogen atoms on the carbon chain called point(s) of unsaturation. Below are the two types of unsaturated fats:
Monounsaturated fats
When you put olive oil on a salad, you’re using a monounsaturated fat. This healthy fat helps to lower cholesterol and have the characteristics of unsaturated fats as noted above. These fats are found in avocados, nuts, olives and olive oil.
Chemically, there is one empty slot on the fatty acid hydrocarbon chain.
Polyunsaturated fats
When you cook with oil, you’re probably using a polyunsaturated fat. Soybean oil, safflower oil and corn oil are examples of this fat.
Omega 3 and omega 6 are two essential polyunsaturated fats. The body does not make these essential fats, so you must get them from your diet or supplements for the body to function normally.
Omega 3 fats are antioxidants and they lower inflammation in the body. Some cold water sources of omega 3 are salmon and herring. Plant-base sources of omega 3 are walnuts and flaxseeds.
Omega 6 fats, in contrast to omega 3, tend to increase inflammation and are easy to find in today’s diet. These opposite effects are a cause of concern because of the disproportionate consumption of omega 6 in western diets. Omega 6 fats are found in vegetable oils, snack foods and fast foods Omega 3 and 6 fats should be eaten as close as possible to a 1:1 ratio.
Chemically, these fats have two or more empty slots on the hydrocarbon chain.
Trans fats are considered dietary villains. They’re industrial fats that companies manufacture and put in muffins, cream-filled candies, cookies, crackers, doughnuts and in almost all processed foods.
The industry uses a process called hydrogenation to convert unsaturated oils into solid, saturated trans fats. This allows the product to have a longer shelf life and it lessens the likelihood that it will become rancid. The process, supposedly, enhances the flavor, taste and texture of the food.
The next time one goes shopping and reads on the package label “partially hydrogenated oil,” be careful – many consider it a harmful, useless man-made ingredient associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and bad cholesterol (LDL).
How we utilize the essentials of nutrition (carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and water) greatly determines how healthy our children will become and whether or not we shall remain in good health. One key is to eat good fats, in the right amounts on a daily basis. Another is to avoid trans fats
Glossary
Fatty acid is a hydrocarbon chain of various lengths and a carboxyl group.
Triglyceride–three fatty acids are attached to a glycerol molecule.
Saturated fat means that the straight, fatty acid hydrocarbon chain has no room for any more hydrogen atoms.
Monounsaturated fatty acid means there is one empty slot on the hydrocarbon chain.
Polyunsaturated fatty acid means there is more than one empty slot on the hydrocarbon chain.
References
Feingold, K. MD, Grunfeld, C. MD; Introduction to Lipids and Lipoproteins; June 10, 2015 Haas, Elson, MD; Building Blocks of Nutrition; Fats, Lipids and Oils; Healthy.net
This article is intended solely as a learning experience. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options.