Saturated Fats vs Unsaturated Fats - Difference and Comparison

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	Saturated Fats	Unsaturated Fats
Derived from:	Mostly from animal products	Plants
Hydrocarbon chain:	contains only single bonds between carbon atoms, no double bonds (ex: stearic acis)	contains one or more double bonds between carbon atoms -monounsaturated -polyunsaturated
Definition:	Saturated fats are fats with a single bond between the carbon atoms of the fatty acids	Unsaturated fats are fats with one or more double bonds between the fatty acids
Health:	Excessive consumption is not good because of their association with atherosclerosis and heart diseases.	Unsaturated fats are considered good to eat if you are watching your cholesterol
Commonly found in:	Butter, coconut oil, breast milk, meat	Avocado, soybean oil, canola oil, olive oil
Life:	These are long lasting and do not get spoiled quickly	These get spoiled quickly
Recommended consumption:	Not more than 10% of total calories per day.	Not more than 30% of total calories per day
Form:	Solid at room temperature	Liquid at room temperature
Cholesterol:	Saturated fats increase LDL (bad cholesterol)	Unsaturated fats increase HDL (good cholesterol)

1 Definition
2 Chemistry
3 Impacts on Health
4 In the Diet
5 References

[edit] Definition

Fats are molecules made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. There are two types of fat- saturated and unsaturated. The type of fat depends upon the arrangement of the above mentioned atoms in the molecule. If the carbon atoms have a single bondbetween them and as many hydrogen atoms as possible are bonded to the carbon atoms, then the fat is said to be saturated.

The fat molecule can be of the unsaturated type if the bond between the carbon atoms of a fat molecule is a double bond and the molecule can absorb more hydrogen atoms. Or, in other words, unsaturated fat is a fat or fatty acid in which there are one or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain. Unsaturated fat is further divided into two types- Mono-unsaturated fat and Poly-unsaturated fat. A fat molecule is mono-unsaturated if it contains one double bond, and poly-unsaturated if it contains more than one double bond.

[edit]
Chemistry

Saturated and unsaturated fat differ in their chemical structure, specifically, the proportion of hydrogen in the fatty acids. All fats contain carbon, hydrogen and a little oxygen to form what are called fatty acids. If the fatty acids contain all the hydrogen possible, they are said to be saturated.

Saturated fatty acids (the building blocks of saturated fat) have no double bonds and this lack of double bond means that there are no gaps in the fatty acid chain; it is packed with CH2 molecules. Unsaturated fatty acids (the building blocks of unsaturated fat), on the other hand, have double bonds and these double bonds break up the string of CH´s and create gaps within the fatty acid chain.

If not completely full of hydrogen, then fatty acids are termed unsaturated. Animal fat tends to be highly saturated with hydrogen, while vegetable fats are unsaturated to varying degrees. However, all foods contain a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats. For example, poultry contains 30% saturated fat and 70% unsaturated fat. So, to summarize, ‘hydrogen’ is the major difference in the composition of different forms of fat.

[edit] Impacts on Health

Both the types of fat - saturated and unsaturated - are important for daily consumption. It is recommended to take both in a limited quantity. The American Heart Association has determined that Americans should limit their intake of saturated fats to 7% of their total calories in a day. While unsaturated fats can form 30% of the calorie intake.

Saturated fats are needed for the production of hormones, the stabilization of cellular membranes, the padding around organs, and for energy. A deficiency in the consumption of saturated fats can lead to age-related declines in white blood cell function, along with dysfunction of the immune system and even cancer. However, a diet high in saturated fat content can lead to coronory heart diseases and atherosclerosis and increase the chances of stroke.

Unsaturated fats have always been considered good by the dieticians. These fats are known to increase the levels of High Density Lipoprotein and hence decrease the bad cholesterol. Both types of unsaturated fat- mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats can replace saturated fats in the diet. Substituting saturated fats with unsaturated fats help to lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in the blood. However, high intake of unsaturated fats can also increase the risk of coronory heart diseases.

[edit] In the Diet

Foods that contain a high proportion of saturated fat are butter, ghee, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, and palm kernel oil, dairy products (especially cream and cheese), meat, chocolate. Foods containing unsaturated fats include avocado, nuts, and vegetable oils such as soybean, canola, and olive oils. In reality, many foods contain both saturated and unsaturated fats, but they're described as one or the other depending on which makes up the majority. So, a healthier unsaturated fat such as olive oil contains saturated fats, too.