what is the different between saturated and unsaturated fats and what makes one less healthier than the other?
In: 0
As said saturated fats only have single bonds in their long carbon chain structure. This allow them to properly stack and crystallize in a solid form (like pig fat) instead the unsaturated fats cannot crystallize and will mostly remain liquidish (like olive oil)
Imagine this as book pages, when they are all flat (the analogy for a saturated chain) you can stack them and make a solid book. Now imagine some pages are folded in a way it’s impossible to unfold them and make them flat again. They will be impossible to stack and obtain a solid book.
This impossibility to stack the fat molecules are an important factor improving their solubility in the body. Also those unsaturated bonds (mostly double bond for chemists out here) are reactive sites that the body enzymes can oxidize (add oxygen atoms) to further improve solubility in water and ease the metabolization.
So to answer to the question, unsaturated fats are considered healthier because it is easier for the body to process them
Latest Answers