Three Types of Fatty Acids You Should Know About

As a health buff, I have always known that I need fatty acids to achieve good health and wellness. It's always a wonderful feeling knowing you are free from getting sick because you have the right health information, isn't it?

Let’s begin with the basics. One example of a very important fatty acid is Omega 3. Don’t worry these are non-fattening. These are the good fats, so you don’t have to worry about adding weight when eating these nutrients.  There are three main categories of fatty acids. These are 'saturated', 'monounsaturated', and 'polyunsaturated'. All of them consist of carbon atoms with some hydrogen atoms filling the spaces between them A bit too technical? Don't fret! This blog will help you understand what fatty acids are and its various types!

Saturated Fats

What sets saturated fats apart from the other types of fatty acids is that the entire spaces around the carbon atoms are filled and do not have space. This makes them stable even when temperatures vary.. Red meat, dairy, and chicken are just some of the main sources of saturated fatty acids. They can also be found in tropical oils such as coconut oil and red palm oil. Interestingly, when we consume carbohydrates, our bodies also produce saturated fat.

Monounsaturated fats

This type consists of a double bond between two carbon atoms but lack two hydrogen atoms. When you look at its name closely, you’ll understand what they are. The term 'mono' talks about the single carbon double bond, while 'unsaturated' refers to the spaces that weren't filled due to the two missing hydrogen atoms. Since the chain bends at the double bond area, it follows that when large number of chains are joined together, the result will not be compressed. There's always a room or space in between. Because they aren't compact, these types of fatty acids are often in liquid form at room temperature. They are relatively stable which means that they aren't as firm as saturated fats. Oleic acid is among the most common monounsaturated fats. Sources of this type are avocados, olive oil, peanuts, cashews, pecans, and almonds. Our bodies can also produce monounsaturated fat from saturated fat.

Polyunsaturated fats.

Unlike the other types of fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats lacks several hydrogen atoms. In fact, they have two or more double bonds. This means that they have the tendency to be very loosely packed. That’s why even when it’s cold, it remains liquid. The term poly (or many) is attributed to their having more than one double bond. Polyunsaturated fats are not very stable. When they are exposed to heat and light, they can go bad or smell rancid.

When polyunsaturated fats become rancid, they can easily cause damage to your system. This is due to free radicals traveling around in your blood and practically messing up with almost everything they come in contact with. Damage related to free radicals may result to these terrifying illnesses: cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, tumors, and cataracts. They also make you look older than you are. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are common polyunsaturated fatty acids. Our bodies cannot produce them (unlike saturated and monounsaturated fats) so we must derive them from the food we take.

Omega 3s can do both good and bad. It can be perfectly alright when not spoiled but can be detrimental when rancid. That’s why be careful when taking Omega 3 supplements. Make sure they are molecularly distilled, free of mercury and made from wild caught fish.

Omega 3 supplements can come in the form of fish oil. Taking an omega 3 supplement with an antioxidant is a good idea. The antioxidants prevent free radical damage especially when oils turn stale in your body.

So here you go! I hope I didn’t bore you with this, but knowing this will make a difference in how you view food in general.