Types of Fats Based on Saturation and
|
Types of fats? There are two methods of classifying fats, by saturation and by carbon chain length. Whichever way though, the evidence shows coconut oil is simply the mightiest.
The method you are more familiar with is based on saturation. Do saturated fats, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats ring any bells?
But what do they really say? I mean, what is saturated fat saturated with? And how does the extent of saturation affect your health?
All fats and oils are made of fat molecules called fatty acids. All fatty acids consist of a chain of carbon atoms with varying numbers of hydrogen atoms affixed to them. And each carbon atom can only carry up to two hydrogen atoms.
Saturated with What?
A fatty acid molecule is labeled "saturated" if two (maximum) hydrogen atoms are attached to each carbon atom in its chain. This type of fatty acid is loaded or saturated with hydrogen and is called a saturated fat.
If you were to remove a pair of hydrogen atoms from the saturated fat, the carbon atoms would form double bonds with each other in order to fulfill their bonding obligations. The result would be an unsaturated fat, in this case, a monounsaturated fat. And anything higher than two hydrogen atoms missing is called a polyunsaturated fat.
Now that you know the types of fats based on saturation and what a saturated fat is saturated with, let me show you how the saturation or un-saturation of fatty acids influence your health.
Weak Links Produce Weak Fats
An absent pair of hydrogen atoms produces a "weak link" in the carbon chain and can have a profound effect on your health. The more hydrogen atoms missing, the more weak links in the chain.
Because they don't have any lacking hydrogen atoms or double-bonded carbons, saturated fats are not vulnerable to oxidation and free-radical formation as unsaturated fats are. The food industry have known this for many decades. Why do you think they have been hydrogenating unsaturated oils such as corn and soybean oils like crazy?
When oils oxidize, they turn rancid and bring about dangerous free radicals. Saturated fats are very stable making them very good at helping preventing spoilage. Other types of fats, particularly polyunsaturated fats, are not as stable - not even close.
Many studies have shown that polyunsaturated oils encourage cancer because they produce huge amounts of free radicals that assault the DNA of your cells.
The Ideal Cooking Oil
Coconut oil is 92 percent saturated, making it the safest oil for food preparation. Its chemical structure is so durable that it functions as an antioxidant. When heated, coconut oil is 16 times more resistant to oxidation than soybean oil, and 300 times tougher than flaxseed oil.
If processed correctly, organic virgin coconut oil can be stored for at least three years without going rancid. Absolutely no refrigeration needed. When used in frying, it can be heated and reheated without creating harmful free radicals. Truly, "The Mightiest Oil on Earth."
For the other method of classifying fats, please visit
kinds of fats
based on the length of the carbon chain.
REFERENCES:
Skrzydlewska, E., et al. Antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in colorectal cancer. Journal Toxicol Environ Health A 2001;64(3):213-222.
Hopkins, G. J., et al. Polyunsaturated fatty acids as promoters of mammary carcinogenesis induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. Journal National Cancer Institute 1981;66(3):517.
Return from Types of Fats to Saturated Fats
Return to Coconut Oil Home
Didn't find what you were looking for? Use this search feature to find it.
