Chemically what is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats

What causes this difference in melting temperature? The answer is: Mostly how saturated the chemical bonds in the fat molecule are in hydrogen atoms. The following illustrations explain why. In the first illustration, seven molecules of completely saturated fats contain only single covalent bonds between the carbon atoms represented as the corners of the zigzag line , and each carbon is bound to two hydrogen atoms, neither of which is shown in the illustration.

These linear molecules are able to come close to each other and create a dense structure, which allows for strong intermolecular interactions. The melting point of such a fat would be high. By contrast, here is an illustration of three unsaturated fat molecules, specifically oleic acid, a main component of olive oil.

This fatty acid includes a double covalent bond, represented by a double line:. In turn, the weak bonds between the molecules make for a lower melting point. Saturated fats can impact your health. They tend to build up along the sides of blood vessels, along with other materials, and over time they may clog them, which may cause a heart attack or a stroke, depending on which blood vessel was clogged.

Chemically speaking, saturated fats are very stable, and do not easily react with other molecules or break. Neither acids nor bases, alcohols, amines, alkali metals or transition metals can break such a chain.

In fact, only very strong oxidizers such as chlorine gas, or oxygen in burning reactions, can achieve this. Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet and replace with some unsaturated fats. To help reduce your intake of saturated fat, you can limit foods that are high in saturated fat, like cakes, pastries and chocolate. You can also choose lower fat alternatives for dairy products like swapping full fat milk for lower fat milks or swap butter for reduced fat spreads.

As for fatty meat and meat products, you could exchange these for poultry like chicken or turkey without the skin or for lean cuts of meat, which are lower in saturated fat. You can find more ideas to help you reduce the saturated fat in your diet in our simple swaps guide. Eat more unsaturated fat… Nuts and seeds, as well as vegetable oils and spreads, are a good source of unsaturated fat — consider adding about a tablespoon of nuts and seeds as a topping for cereal, salads or porridge, or even enjoying them as a snack.

Key references Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition Draft report: Saturated Fats and Health. Hooper L et al. European Commission EU register on nutrition and health claims.

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