Compare and contrast saturated fats, unsaturated fats, and trans fats in terms of their food sources and health effects.

Fats are made up of triglyceride molecules, in turn made up of fatty acids, which are classified based on the presence of double bonds in their molecule. In this sense, there are essentially three types of fat, saturated, unsaturated, and trans fat. Fat is an important energy source and helps your body absorb vitamins.

Explanation:

Saturated fats are mainly found in animal foods (such as meat and dairy products), but they are also found in fried foods and some packaged foods. Saturated fats have no benefit in themselves beyond the characteristics that fats in general provide, they are unhealthy because they increase the levels of LDL, ("bad cholesterol") in the body and increase the risk of suffering from diseases when heart. Trans fats come from two main sources: ruminants (dairy and meat) and the industrial hydrogenation of fats. Heating and frying oils at high temperatures are also a small source of trans fat, but the trans fats found in processed foods are more unhealthy. As with saturated fats, the evidence linking trans fat consumption and blood cholesterol levels or cardiovascular problems is solid and abundant. Trans fats have a doubly bad effect on cholesterol by increasing LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and lowering HDL ("good" cholesterol). Unsaturated fats have fatty acids with one or more double bonds in their molecule, and can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated respectively. Monounsaturated fatty acids have only one double bond. The most important is oleic acid, with a double bond in position n-9 (omega-9). They are not essential fatty acids, as the body can synthesize them from other fatty acids or carbohydrates. They are present in foods of animal and vegetable origin. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have 2 to 6 double bonds. The most important are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) of the omega-3 series and linoleic acid (AL) of the omega-6 series. They are essential fatty acids that must be ingested with the diet. Both have important functions in the body as they are precursors of substances such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes and prostacyclins that are involved in the regulation of blood pressure, kidney function, coagulation or inflammation. They are also essential in various functions of cell membranes such as permeability and the activity of enzymes and membrane receptors. Therefore, in the diet it is important to maintain a balanced proportion of the intake of both types of fatty acids.

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