Saturated fat is bad, right? At least that is what we have been led to believe. We’ve been told that dietary saturated fat increases LDL “bad” cholesterol. However, this isn’t such a black and white area, and when we dig deeper into the cause and effect, the conclusion isn’t so concrete. Saturated fat isn’t “just” saturated fat, there are actually several different types of dietary saturated fat that can affect the body in different ways. I am going to give you the run down on the types of saturated fat and why the link between saturated fat and LDL isn’t as clear as you may have been lead to believe. It is important to make educated decisions on the types fat you eat, especially with all the contradictory diet advice floating around.
The Importance of Dietary Fat
First of all, you need to know that a healthy diet does contain fat. IMO, a very low fat diet is dangerous (unless for specific medical reasons), and I think a healthy diet should have around 30% fat. As you probably know, dietary fat can be classified into three different categories: unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated. The famous omega fatty acids are unsaturated fats. Why is fat such an important part of the diet? Fats are so much more than an energy source. First of all, fats are important in the maintenance of skin and hair, they help promote healthy cell function, and help maintain body temperature. Also, many vitamins (A,D,E, and K) are fat soluble, so the body needs fats to adsorb them properly. Then we have essential fats, which are fats that are not produced by our body so they need to be consumed. **Fun Fact: In 1923 when the omega family of essential fatty acids were discovered, they were first designated as a vitamin (Vit F), until further study showed they were better classified as fats.**
Common Types of Saturated Fat
There are 4 common types of dietary saturated fat: lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. Different types of foods contain different ratios of saturated fats. For example, coconut oil is very high in lauric acid, while butter, meats, and cocoa contain higher percentages of palmitic and stearic acid.
Why The Confusion?
Studies investigating the link between saturated fat and cholesterol haven’t been able to come to a common agreement. Some studies come to the conclusion that saturated fat is to blame for high cholesterol, but other studies show certain saturated fats lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL “good” cholesterol. When considering diets from around the world, the association with dietary saturated fat and heart disease/high cholesterol only seems to hold true with more developed countries (i.e. countries with diets like the SAD diet). The relationship between saturated fat consumption and high cholesterol doesn’t appear to have a positive correlation “except” in situations where the population also consumes a large amount of refined, high GI (glycemic index) carbohydrates (think sugar, refined grains, cereal, bread, chips, cookies). Insulin is released by the body in response to increased blood glucose levels. When insulin is low, the body prefers to use fats as fuel, but in the presence of insulin, the body prefers glucose. When the body is using glucose for fuel while you are also ingesting large amounts of fats, the body will store the fat. From what I understand, this can not only cause in increase in body fat, but also cause defective fat metabolism/storage which can lead to high cholesterol/heart disease issues.
Should I Eat Saturated Fat?
Well, if you can’t give up the cake, cookies, and chips, you are going to do yourself in much quicker if you also consume a high amount of saturated fat. If you are eating a diet without refined carbohydrates (hint: a paleo diet doesn’t contain any grains and emphasizes no/low sugar intake), saturated fat should not be avoided. **Gimme gimme gimme BACON!**
Check out this recent finding by the University of Alberta that shows a direct link to high insulin and dysfunctional fat metabolism:
