Saturated fats are hydrocarbons with only single bonds in their carbon chain. They are stable at higher heats than unsaturated fats so may be better for cooking. Most animal fats are saturated. Saturated fats have an undeserved bad reputation for causing heart disease, yet there is no evidence that even very high saturated fat diets are unhealthy in any way. There doesn’t appear to be too much or too little you can eat. Plant sources include coconut, and dark chocolate and animal sources include dairy products, and fatty cuts of meat like beef, sausage, steak, pepperoni.
Saturated Fatty Acids
-Fatty acids with only single bonds in their carbon chain
-More stable at high heats than unsaturated fats, so may be more ideal for cooking
-Solid at room temperature
-Most animal fats are saturated
-For decades, many health organizations recommended to lower saturated fat intake since they said it increased risk of heart disease, but recent research sheds light on the lack of evidence for these conclusions [24][25]
-Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) are triglycerides where the three fatty acids are all saturated and are between 6 – 12 carbon atoms [26]
Most common types of saturated fatty acids:
-Butyric acid – 4 carbons long
-Caproic acid – 6 carbons long (MCT)
-Caprylic acid – 8 carbons long (MCT)
-Capric acid – 10 carbons long (MCT)
-Lauric acid – 12 carbons long (MCT)
-Myristic acid – 14 carbons long
-Palmitic acid – 16 carbons long
-Stearic acid – 18 carbons long
-See the full list of saturated fatty acids here: [27]
RDI
20 g [128]
Typically, 5 – 6% of calories are recommended [120] to be from saturated fat, but there is no evidence supporting negative health effects resulting from higher intakes – see toxicity below. In fact, there is a correlation between decreased heart disease and increased saturated fat intake across more than 20 countries [17].
Deficiency
There doesn’t appear to be deficiency, as saturated fats can be made in the body, however lower saturated fat intake may cause poorer health even though the body can make them.
Toxicity
-There is no proof that high fat diets or high intakes of saturated fat increase heart disease risk or cause bad health outcomes [89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96]
Sources
Animal sources
Fatty cuts of meat like beef short ribs, sausages, fatty steaks, pepperoni. Whipping cream
Plant sources
Coconut, dark chocolate
Oils and Fats
Butter, coconut oil, palm oil, beef fat, lard
