By Dr Veronika Powell MSc, Researcher & Writer VIVA!HEALTH
Saturated fat is the baddie – completely unnecessary for us and can increase our risk of heart disease. It’s also been linked to Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. Saturated fats are mostly found in animal products, such as meat, fish, dairy and eggs, but palm and coconut oil contain a lot too.
Unsaturated fats are the heroes – but it’s not quite so straightforward, as there are several types. Firstly, let's get down to the nitty gritty of where unsaturated fats got their name from: they have at least one double bond in their chemical structure, meaning that the bond has not been saturated. Based on how many of these double bonds a fat molecule contains, it is either monounsaturated (one double bond) or polyunsaturated (more than one double bond).
Some of these fats are essential for us, which means they have to be a part of our diet because the human body cannot make them. Depending on their structure, polyunsaturated fats can be omega-3 or omega-6 fats. The essential fats (fatty acids) we need in our diet are both from the polyunsaturated group: