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The relationships are accepted as causal. There are strong, consistent, and graded relationships between saturated fat intake, blood cholesterol levels, and cardiovascular disease.
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The effect of saturated fat on heart disease has been extensively studied. Unless else specified in boxes, then reference is: Īssociation with diseases Cardiovascular disease Saturated fat profile of common foods Esterified fatty acids as percentage of total fat FoodĮxamples of saturated fatty acids įats added during cooking or at the table The saturated fat in meat, eggs, cacao, and nuts is primarily the triglycerides of palmitic and stearic acids. Lauric and myristic acids are most commonly found in "tropical" oils (e.g., palm kernel, coconut) and dairy products. While nutrition labels regularly combine them, the saturated fatty acids appear in different proportions among food groups. Many review articles also recommend a diet low in saturated fat in order to lower risks of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or death. Guidelines released by many medical organizations, including the World Health Organization, have advocated for reduction in the intake of saturated fat to promote health and reduce the risk from cardiovascular diseases. Certain vegetable products have high saturated fat content, such as coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Other examples of foods containing a high proportion of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol include animal fat products such as lard or schmaltz, fatty meats and dairy products made with whole or reduced fat milk like yogurt, ice cream, cheese and butter. Some store-bought baked goods are as well, especially those containing partially hydrogenated oils. Many processed foods like foods deep-fried in hydrogenated oil and sausage are high in saturated fat content. Various foods contain different proportions of saturated and unsaturated fat. The fats of plants and fish are generally unsaturated. Glyceride fats without any carbon chain double bonds are called saturated because they are "saturated with" hydrogen atoms, having no double bonds available to react with more hydrogen. A double bond along the carbon chain can react with a pair of hydrogen atoms to change into a single -C-C- bond, with each H atom now bonded to one of the two C atoms. Along the chain, some carbon atoms are linked by single bonds (-C-C-) and others are linked by double bonds (-C=C-). A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone and fatty acids that each contain a long linear or branched chain of carbon (C) atoms. A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds.
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