Saturated and unsaturated fats: nutritional differences and effects

Biology

Saturated and Unsaturated Fats

This is a paper on saturated and unsaturated fats. There are three references used for this paper.

There are a number of components in foods consumed by humans. It is important to understand what saturated and unsaturated fats are, as well as their functions.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are "any solid fat that is an ester of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid. The molecules of a saturated fat have only single bonds between carbon atoms (unknown)." These fats are characterized by maintaining a solid or almost sold form when stored at room temperature.

Saturated fats are considered to be extremely unhealthy. They are responsible for making the "body produce more cholesterol, which may raise blood cholesterol levels. Excess saturated fat is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (www.dietsite.com/Diets/HeartHealthy/FatDictionary/Saturated%20Fat)."

Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are characterized by "double bonds in the fatty acid portion of the molecule. Unsaturated fats can be converted to saturated fats by a process called hydrogenation; since this usually raises the melting point of the fat and makes it a solid, the process is also called hardening (unknown)."