The Truth About Saturated Fats
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The Truth About Saturated Fats
Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. You can learn more about saturated fats by visiting; http://blog.freefitnesstips.co.uk/what-is-saturated-fat.html
Saturated fats are often given a lot of negative publicity. However, research suggests that they may not be as bad as many people believe and in fact may be quite healthy. In this article I will be taking a more detailed look at this type of dietary fat and reveal the truth behind it.
All dietary fats are made from a combination of carbon and hydrogen atoms. With this type every carbon atom is bonded to (or ‘saturated’ with) a hydrogen atom. It has the highest melting point of the three natural fats (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and remains solid at room temperature.
Animal products are the most common source of saturated fat. Red meats (including beef, lamb and pork) and dairy products (such as butter, cheese and eggs) both contain very high levels. However, some none animal products including avocado and coconut are also rich in this macronutrient.
Most sources suggest that saturated fat is detrimental to your health because it raises overall cholesterol levels which can then lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and organ damage. However, closer inspection of the research behind these suggestions reveals multiple flaws. Not only was the research performed on a very small sample of countries but it also ignored the effects of other negative lifestyle factors.
The most revealing factor however is that rates of cancer and heart disease only started to rise rapidly from the 1930s onwards. Saturated fats were blamed for this rapid increase despite the fact people had eaten them for thousands of years. But people had started eating a new food product during the 1930s – man made, artificial, hydrogenated trans fats. These were developed by vegetable oil producers so that they could create products with a long shelf life such as margarine and market them as an alternative to popular saturated fat choices such as butter and lard. These same companies then used saturated fat as a scapegoat for the health risks associated with their product.
That is not all either. This type of dietary fat actually has many health benefits. These include:
- Healthy Nervous System.
- Helping your Heart Disease with Stress.
- Improved Absorption of Essential Fatty Acids.
- Improved Brain Health.
- Improved Liver Health.
- Improved Lung Health.
- Reduced Heart Disease Risk.
- Strong Bones.
- Strong Cell Walls.
- Strong Immune System.
I hope this article has showed you saturated fats are not all bad. In fact they can be quite good for you. So if you have been avoiding them change your approach and start making them a regular part of your diet. They are essential for good health and your body needs them to survive.
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