The general rule is now known to many: an excess of saturated fats in the diet corresponds to a greater risk of developing a whole series of diseases, among which stand out cardiovascular pathologies and some types of cancer (such as that of the colon, although there are conflicting scientific evidence). On the contrary, a sober diet rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as the Mediterranean one, has a long series of beneficial effects for the whole organism. To learn more: Are there good fats and bad fats?
THE MCT, SATURATED FAT BUT GOOD!
Medium chain triglycerides ( MCT, Medium Chain Triglicerides) are triglycerides formed by medium chain fatty acids. They are therefore saturated fats, but they have many differences compared to long-chain ones, in fact:
- do not raise the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood;
- they do not need to be broken down by hydrolysis to be assimilated, but they can be absorbed directly by the intestinal mucosa;
- they can be used by mitochondria to produce energy without the need for carnitine, with a more efficient process.
In practice, MCTs are digested and used by the body in a similar way to carbohydrates, but they provide more than double energy. This feature makes them useful for feeding those patients with severe digestive disorders, such as failure to absorb fats in the intestine.
Medium-chain triglycerides are present in palm shell oil and coconut oil, almonds and butter .
INSATURED OILS IF CARRIED OUT AT HIGH TEMPERATURES BECOME TOXIC
Furthermore, boiling the oil several times, as often happens in fast foods, leads to a further increase in total toxins.
TRANS. FATTY ACIDS
The hydrogenation of edible oils is widely used in the industrial field in order to transform them into semisolid or solid fats; this result is obtained by adding hydrogen atoms to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, transforming them into saturated fatty acids. However, during this process the so-called trans fatty acids are produced; these molecules, rather rare in nature, are unsaturated fatty acids characterized by the presence of one or more double C = C bonds of trans isomerism. Various studies have highlighted the relationship between diets with a high content of trans fatty acids and the appearance of coronary heart disease, insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. For this reason, current recommendations suggest taking the least possible amount of trans fatty acids in the context of a balanced diet on a daily basis.
1. Seppanen CM and Csallany AS.
The effect of intermittent and continuous heating of soybean oil at frying temperature on the formation of 4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal and other alpha-, beta-unsaturated hydroxyaldehydes. J Am Oil Chem. 2006, 83: 121-127
2. Rommens CM, Shakya R, Heap M, Fessenden K.
Keyboard and healthier alternatives to French fries.
J Food Sci. 2010 May; 75 (4): H109-15.
Carere A.
Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of acrylamide: a critical review.
Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2006; 42 (2): 144-55. Review.
