The Health Benefits of Saturated Fats & What Really Causes Heart Disease

​Fats are good for your health!  The GOOD fats, that is. Yes, even the good saturated fats.  They have been villainized for far too long!  Fats are vital for your body.  They are its primary long-burning fuel, are critical in cellular structures and hormone precursors, and they regulate normal metabolism.

Chemically speaking, a fatty acid is considered saturated when all available carbon bonds are occupied (saturated) by a hydrogen atom.  Therefore, saturated fats are quite stable when exposed to high heat, light, and air and are not prone to oxidation (breaking down and becoming unstable).  Oxidization causes the generation of free radicals, which makes the oil turn rancid and can cause cellular damage to the body. Oxidization happens more often in unsaturated oils.  
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​Some important facts:

• Saturated fatty acids make up over 50% of the cell membrane and give them necessary stiffness and integrity for proper functioning.  
• They also help foster good bone heath by helping calcium to be incorporated into the skeleton; although to be effective, at least 50% of dietary fats should be saturated.  
• Saturated fats lower Lp(a) in the blood, which is a marker for heart disease.  
• They also enhance the immune system and protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins.  
• Healthy Omega 3 fats are better used by the body when the diet is rich in saturated fats.  
• The fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated draws on this reserve in times of stress.  (The preferred saturated fats for the heart are called stearic acid and palmitic acid.)  
• The short and medium chain saturated fats are anti-microbial and protect us from harmful microorganisms.
• Breast milk it primarily made of saturated fats because it's ideal for the health of a growing newborn baby.

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Know Your Saturated Fats:

Did you know?? 
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FATS are solid at room temperature & OILS are liquid at room temperature. They both fall under the broad category of LIPIDS.  

Saturated fats are often solid at room temperature.  But, don't be fooled by margarine & shortening!  They've been chemically altered and are very damaging to your health.  

​Some healthy saturated fats from tropical regions are liquid in summer and solid in winter (like coconut oil).

Some of the healthiest saturated fats include: 

• coconut oil (I like Tropical Traditions)
• palm oil
• cacao butter (read more about palm oil & cacao butter)
• butter
• ghee 
• lard 
• animal fats 
• high-fat dairy 
• egg yolks 

Many of these wonderful fats are from animal sources. These fats should ideally be from grass-fed, free range, organically raised animals. Plant sources should ideally come from sustainable, organic farms.

For a full list of the good & bad fats, please see my previous post: 
​THE SKINNY ON DIETARY FATS.

​What about the cholesterol in saturated fats? 

We've heard that plaque can clog our arteries - which is true. But why and under what circumstance?  Inflammation!  In fact, inflammation is intimately involved in nearly every aspect of heart disease.  
​(See scientific study.)

So, cholesterol is not the bad guy!  Cholesterol is a wonderful thing your body makes to try to heal itself. You should thank cholesterol!  It moves freely in your bloodstream looking to fight inflammation, injury, bacteria, and viruses. But, chronic inflammation causes LDL cholesterol particles to oxidize. Regular LDL is not the issue; only oxidized LDL gets turned into plaque.  When it gets stuck in the wall of the artery, it's trying to repair damage done due to chronic inflammation.  That's when the real trouble begins...  This buildup of plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis, can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Contributors to Heart Disease:

So, what are some common causes chronic inflammation, plaque build-up, and the heart disease cascade? 
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1. No surprise here... an unhealthy diet for starters, especially one that has continuous spikes in blood sugar (a.k.a. a diet of refined carbohydrates). That causes injury to your blood vessels; like rubbing sandpaper against its delicate walls!  
2. Secondly, refined oils high in  Omega 6 fats, like soybean, corn, canola, and sunflower oil, will cause inflammation because they're pro-oxidation (NOT good).  ​Small, dense, oxidized LDL particles may irritate the artery wall and/or get in between the cells in the wall.
3. High blood pressure that puts stress on artery walls; which is exacerbated by too much sugar and starch in the diet. 
4. Smoking, which introduces substances to the blood that irritates the arteries.
5. Stress magnifies all the problems mentioned above – it raises blood pressure, increases blood sugar, worsens blood lipid profile, and increases the tendency to adopt bad habits, such as smoking.​
6. Genetics can make you more susceptible to heart disease. Just one example is Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). This gene increases the susceptibility of LDL particles to oxidize and is famously linked to increased rates of heart disease.

 

• Follow this link for more information about INFLAMMATION. 
• Learn more about Oxidation & Antioxidants.
• Plus, read my article Heart Disease: The Carbohydrate Connection.

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Information sources:

• The book: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
• Saturated fats article by Dr. Mercola: HERE
• How Might Inflammmation Cause Heart Disease by Mark Sisson
• World Renown Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease
  
  

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