CookSmart (3rd Issue) Page13

Feature Article

Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Saturated Acids and Trans Fatty Acids

Fat in cooking oil is made up of three fatty acid groups and a single glycerol derivative (Figure 1). Fatty acids are characterized into saturated and unsaturated fatty acids by their chemical structure.

Unsaturated fatty acids help to lower the "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol) in our bloodstream and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Saturated fatty acids are the biggest dietary cause of high "bad" cholesterol level, which have been linked to increased risk of developing heart problem.

In general, trans fatty acids are produced during the hydrogenation of vegetable oils. They raise the "bad" cholesterol level in our body, and at the same time lower the level of "good" cholesterol. The negative impact is thus considered worse than that of the saturated fats. The impact of fatty acids on our body are listed in table 2.

Figure 1: Chemical Structure of Fats

Table 2: Impact of Fatty acids on Our Body