The Healthy Roles of Saturated Fats
After all the intensive posts on fats, it is glaringly apparent that fats are essential to our health.
Saturated fats have been touted as dangerous or unhealthy, and nothing can be farther from the truth, when consumed in healthy quantities.
Here are some facts about saturated fats for you to consider:
- Human breast milk contains high levels of saturated fats – and cholesterol!
- Our cell membranes are comprised of 50% saturated fats – so if we don’t consume enough, our cells become stiff and rigid and aren’t able to defend themselves against viruses.
- Calcium requires saturated fat for incorporation into the skeletal structure! Lack of saturated fat means lack of calcium availability which causes many problems. (cardiovascular disease, bone density problems, osteoporosis, and many more!)
- Saturated fats lower lipoprotein which is connected to heart disease.
- Saturated fats protect the liver from toxins like alcohol, NSAIDS (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc.)
- Saturated fats (especially coconut oil) enhance the immune system!
- Saturated fats are the preferred fuel for the heart and the fat that surrounds the heart is made from saturated fats; this allows a reserve of fat for the heart to use, and it can’t function properly without it.
There are even more important jobs of saturated fats in our bodies.
For optimal health, adults should consume 30-35% of their healthy caloric intake from healthy fats.
We hope you enjoyed this series and learned something from it. Feel free to comment with questions under each post and be sure and go back and check out the other posts on FATS!