The notion of fat may refer to the substance that is formed with the combination of fatty acid and glycerin . Fats perform very important functions in physiology, forming part of various tissues.
Saturated fats are those composed of saturated fatty acids : long-chain acids that lack double bonds between their carbon atoms . Foods such as bacon and peanut butter (also known as peanut butter ) have a high amount of saturated fat.
It is important to keep in mind that fats are essential nutrients for the body as they provide energy . However, excess fat is harmful . On the other hand, it must be taken into account that fats of vegetable origin are healthier than fats of animal origin.
In this framework, the consumption of saturated fats is not recommended by doctors since they increase the level of bad cholesterol . This increases the risk of strokes and heart problems due to blockages in the arteries .
Nutritionists recommend that saturated fats represent less than 6% of the calories consumed daily. That is why it is not advisable to exceed the consumption of whole milk, butter (butter) and fatty meats. There are vegetable oils, such as coconut oil and palm oil, that also contain saturated fats.
Therefore, although saturated fats are mainly found in products of animal origin, we can also find them in some vegetables. At room temperature , these fats are present in a solid state and are sometimes visible, as is the case with beef or chicken, but also invisible, as in certain industrially processed products, which contain them as part of their ingredients (pastry is a clear example).
At a general level, it can be said that junk food and industrial foods have an excessive level of saturated fats. That is why the ideal is to restrict its consumption and maintain a balanced and healthy diet.
The concept of saturated fats began to become widespread in the 1970s, when several groups launched a public health campaign, claiming that dietary cholesterol and saturated fats carried a high risk of cardiovascular problems, reason enough to eliminate them from the diet. diet. It was a theory based on a hypothesis that directly relates diet to heart health, which is supported by three seemingly logical arguments:
* dietary cholesterol and saturated fats increase the concentration of cholesterol in the blood;
* blood cholesterol ends up accumulating in the arteries;
* Such cholesterol deposit in the arteries leads to cardiovascular disease .
Having said all this, it would be contradictory to say that saturated fats have benefits for our body; And it's not that they are "good" for our health, but they are still nutrients that we need to function properly. Of course, these same ones can be obtained through other fats.
In the midst of so many movements against the consumption of saturated fats, we find certain data that does not exactly make them "the bad guys in the movie", since we need them to a certain extent to correctly absorb fat-soluble vitamins (those that only dissolve in oils and fats, such as A, D, E and K) and fill the adipose tissue cells, to collaborate with the insulation of our body and maintain its temperature at an adequate level. As if all this were not enough, it is thanks to fatty acids that our body can regulate blood clotting, develop the brain and control inflammation.