Saturated Fat Benefits -- Myth and Reality

Saturated fat benefits? Are you kidding me?

Most people have heard that saturated fats are not healthy and should be eliminated from the diet all together. It’s easy- just don’t include them in your daily food. Right?

Not so easy, and not so fast!



In order to make your informed decision about what to eat and what to avoid (after all it is your body and your health) you need to sort through the confusing information available about saturated fat benefits, unsaturated fats, fatty acids, good fats, bad fats, bad cholesterol, etc. Even if you manage to get past the biochemistry part you still need to tie the scientific knowledge to real life solutions, like what foods are high on saturated fat and how bad it really could be. It can be a bit mind boggling.

Saturated fat benefits : Why is it so confusing?

Like anything in life, things are not as black and white as we would like to think. Things are more complicated and nuanced, and every attempt to provide a simplistic explanation can be misleading. The case of the saturated fat benefits is no exception. There are some saturated fats that are absolutely benefitial for your health and some that are to be avoided. But the same goes for unsaturated fats since some unsaturated fats, like polyunsaturated hydrogenated fats, may literally be killing us.

First, a little bit about the biochemistry of fats:

Few of us have ever studied biochemistry let alone remember what was in the frightening chemical formulas. Here is a crash course of the basics: fat is composed of alcohol called glycerol and fatty acids. The combination of fatty acids and alcohol is called triglycerides. The terms "fats" and "fatty acids" are often used interchangeably in lay literature. In fact, fatty acids are sub-units of fats.

There are 2 major categories of fatty acids: saturated and unsaturated. Both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids differ in length as well. There are short-chain, mdium-chain and long-chain fatty acids. Short-chain and most medium-chain fatty acids are saturated as well some long-chain fatty acids. And to make things even more complicated, the unsaturated fatty acids are either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. In some cases the fatty acids contain a phosphate group and are called phospholipids. The phospholipids contain both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

Is you head spinning already? Mine is.

The point is that the saturated fat benefits (or their harmful effects) are determined by more than one factor and the separation of saturated fat benefits vs.unsaturated fat benefits is very simplistic.

What is saturated fat anyway?

Saturated fat (saturated fatty acids plus alcohol) have all of their available carbon bonds occupied by a hydrogen atom. This structure makes them stable from a chemical standpoint. In real life it means that they don’t go rancid, even when you use them for cooking. This is a very important benefit of saturated fat.

What are the main sources of saturated fats?

Most saturated fatty acids come from animal products such as butter, cheese, ghee, suet, tallow, and lard. It comes as a surprise to many people to learn that there are some plant derived saturated fats such as coconut oil, cottonseed oil, and palm kernel oil. The most common saturated fatty acids in fatty foods are lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid.

What are the saturated fat benefits?

The saturated fat benefits depend largely on their length. For example short-chain fatty acids that are always saturated protect from viruses, yeast, and some bacteria in the gut. They have one very important advantage- because they are short enough, there are directly absorbed from the small intestine (no need to be emulsified by bile salts) and used as a quick source of energy. Medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids can be either saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Some of them have an antimicrobial property, others contribute to the health of the immune system, and some could be toxic. Again, the saturated fat benefits depend on their overall structure.

1. Stroke prevention

Our brain cells are made mostly of fatty acids called phospholipids. They help build the cell membrane. The cell membrane not only participates in the transportation of nutrients into the cell and toxins out of the cell but also protects the integrity of the cell. Recent research data show that having enough saturated fats in your diet can prevent stroke.

2. Heart protection

It is ironic that people avoid saturated fats like the plague in order to protect their hearts when in fact some saturated fats (like carbon-18 stearic acid and carbon-16 palmitic acid) are found in the fat around the heart muscle, and are used by the heart as an energy reserve in times of stress.

3. Bones strength

Saturated fat facilitates the absorption of Vitamin D (which helps incorporate calcium into your bones. Research data shows that for calcium to be incorporated in the bones, at least 50% of our diet should consist of saturated fat.

4. Liver protection

Saturated fats protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins like acetaminophen found in Tylenol².

5. Asthma prevention When it comes to the lungs, the phospholipids that protect the lungs from collapsing (called lung surfactant) contain 100 percent saturated fatty acids. When a baby is born premature there is not enough surfactant in the lungs and this could be life threatening because the baby cannot breathe on its own. Recent research data shows that when the saturated fatty acids are replaced with unsaturated fats (trans fats) the lungs may not work properly causing asthma.

6. Fat-soluble vitamins absobtion

Saturated fat facilitates the absorption of vitamins A, D, K, and E. Vitamin A is important for the eyes and vitamin E is important for your fertility and sex drive. Research has shown that the absence of butterfat results in a failure to bring out male and female sexual characteristics. Dr. Price called it “nutritional castration.” In fact Dr. Price discovered that butter from cows fed on rapidly growing grass in the spring and fall seasons is particularly rich in a particular factor that helps the body absorb minerals. He called it Ativator X but it is also known as Price factor. It is interesting that this factor is not found when cows are given soy-based or cottonseed feeds.

7. Infectious disease prevention

The antimicrobial properties of some short and medium chain saturated fatty acids protect against viruses and yeast. Glycosphingolipids protect against gastrointestinal infections in the very young and the elderly. The rate of diarrhea among children who drink skimmed milk is three to five time greater when compared to children who drink whole milk.

9. Promote feelings of well-being and prevention of depression Saturated fats have been linked to feelings of well-being and low rate of depression. Fat-free nutrition for any length of time can cause weight gain, lack of energy, and depression. In fact, Pritikin (the man who created the fat-free nutrition diet), developed severe depression and committed suicide.

Ok, so knowing all of this what should you do?

Instead of focusing on the myth about bad saturated fat, you need to educate yourself about what kind of saturated fat is good and essential for your health. Use in moderation, avoid processed food and balance your diet.

Recent research shows that overall health, and heart health in particular, is related to chronic stress that leads to accumulation of belly fat. The abdominal fat is responsible for releasing bio-active chemicals leading to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. This means that health is not about diet only. It is about a healthy lifestyle, and trying to avoid good saturated fats at any cost is not a healthy way to achieve this lifestyle.

References:

1. Watkins, B A, et al, "Importance of Vitamin E in Bone Formation and in Chrondrocyte Function" Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, AOCS Proceedings, 1996; Watkins, B A, and M F Seifert, "Food Lipids and Bone Health," Food Lipids and Health, R E McDonald and D B Min, eds, p 101, Marcel Dekker, Inc, New York, NY, 1996

2. Nanji, A A, et al, Gastroenterology, Aug 1995, 109(2):547-54; Cha, Y S, and D S Sachan, J Am Coll Nutr, Aug 1994, 13(4):338-43; Hargrove, H L, et al, FASEB Journal, Meeting Abstracts, Mar 1999, #204.1, p A222.

3. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon: Personal communication, Pat Connolly, Executive Director, Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation

4. Koopman, J S, et al, AJPH, 1984, 74:12:1371-1373

Copyright Dr. Nelly Stoyanova

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Author's bio: Dr. Nelly Stoyanova is a physician, medical researcher and health behavior expert. She studies the effects of stress on heart disease, type 2 diabetes and sleep. Her website: Belly Fat, Stress and Baby Boomers (http://www.stress-fat-heart-solutions-for-boomers.com) evaluates sources of stress for people over 50 and provides great tips to balance your day-to-day stress and stay healthy. Turn your life around and benefit from her expertise. For individual guidance sessions or to schedule a public speaking event use the Contact page or email at drnstoyanova@gmail.com

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