Consumption of fats with unsaturated fatty acids is supposed

Consumption of fats with unsaturated fatty acids is supposed to be better for humans than fats with saturated fatty acids. How do unsaturated fatty acids differ from saturated fats? How does that change affect their properties?

Solution

Fats are the micronutrients, which provides large amount of energy to us on their consumption. Each fat will be made up of one glycerol molecule and 3 molecules of fatty acids. Fats will be either saturated, polyunsaturated or unsaturated. In case, of saturated fatty acids, there will not be any double bonds, polyunsaturated fatty acids will have two or more double bonds, whereas monounsaturated fatty acids will have one double bond. When you consume the saturated fat, it will increase the cholesterol level in blood and results in heart disease. In our body, we will have High-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and these will carry cholesterol. Saturated fat will increase the level of LDL, thus the risk of heart diseases.

Small dense LDL, these small protein can easily penetrate the arteries and causes the heart diseases, but large LDL will not penetrate the arteries due to their large size. Once these small LDL enters the arteries, gets oxidized and causes heart diseases. Research has proved that on taking high amount of myristic and palmitic acids, and Trans fatty acids, the LDL-cholesterol level increases, but taking linoleic acid will reduce cholesterol level, The saturated fatty acid consumption will reduce the plasma LDL removal by LDL receptors and thus cholesterol level rises.

Thus it is advisable to consume unsaturated fatty acids unsaturated hydrogen bonds among their carbon atoms, when compared to consumption of saturated fatty acids which has saturated hydrogen bonds among their carbon atoms.