Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSaturated FatLimiting Saturated FatsUnsaturated FatDiet Choices
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Saturated Fat
Limiting Saturated Fats
Unsaturated Fat
Diet Choices
The main difference between saturated and unsaturated fats is their form at room temperature and their impact on your health.
Both types of dietary fats are important for your body to stay healthy. They provide energy, protect your organs, maintain cell growth, stabilize blood pressure, and help your body to absorb certain nutrients.The key is eating healthy types of fat.
Verywell
What Is Saturated Fat?
Saturated fats are called “saturated” because of their chemical structure. All fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen molecules. Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen atoms. They have the greatest number of hydrogen atoms possible and no double bonds in their chemical structure.
For one, this chemical structure means that, like butter, they become solid at room temperature.
Foods that contain saturated fats include:
Is Trans Fat the Same as Saturated Fat?Trans fat is not the same as saturated fat, but trans fat can also increase your risk of heart disease. Trans fat raises LDL cholesterol levels and lowers protective HDL cholesterol levels. These changes in cholesterol are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Most trans fats are found in processed foods, fried foods, and commercially baked goods like cookies, crackers, and snacks.
Is Trans Fat the Same as Saturated Fat?
Trans fat is not the same as saturated fat, but trans fat can also increase your risk of heart disease. Trans fat raises LDL cholesterol levels and lowers protective HDL cholesterol levels. These changes in cholesterol are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Most trans fats are found in processed foods, fried foods, and commercially baked goods like cookies, crackers, and snacks.
Why Limit Saturated Fats in Your Diet
Saturated fat should make up less than 6% of your daily caloric intake, according to the American Heart Association (AHA) recommendations.Limiting your saturated fat intake, especially certain types of saturated fat, may improve your heart health but the research evidence is mixed:
The more saturated fat you eat, the more LDL you seem to have in your body. However, some studies have shown that certain LDL types may present more of a health threat, and that there may be a genetic cause as well as influences like diet.
Small, dense LDLparticles may present a greater risk of atherosclerosis—the build-up of plaque in your arteries—which leads to heart disease.Elevated levels have been found with other health conditions, including obesity.
Saturated Fat: Good or Bad?The AHA recommends limiting saturated fats in your diet, but there’s research evidence to suggest the type of food sources may affect the health risk. A 2024 study of more than 21,800 people found that replacing saturated fats from meat with dairy products may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.At the same time, most experts agree that specific sources (like processed meat) should be avoided. More research is needed to understand these effects.
Saturated Fat: Good or Bad?
The AHA recommends limiting saturated fats in your diet, but there’s research evidence to suggest the type of food sources may affect the health risk. A 2024 study of more than 21,800 people found that replacing saturated fats from meat with dairy products may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.At the same time, most experts agree that specific sources (like processed meat) should be avoided. More research is needed to understand these effects.
What Is Unsaturated Fat?
Unsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature. They differ from saturated fats in that their chemical structure contains one or more double bonds.
They can be further categorized as:
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats reduce harmful LDL cholesterol levels and inflammation, and provide nutrients that your body needs to develop and maintain your cells. Polyunsaturated fats provide omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart and essential to your health.
Dietary RecommendationsThe American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that between 20% and 35% of your total daily calories should consist of fat.Most of your intake should be from unsaturated fat.
Dietary Recommendations
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that between 20% and 35% of your total daily calories should consist of fat.Most of your intake should be from unsaturated fat.
Adding Unsaturated Fats to Your Diet
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats should make up most of your daily fat intake, according to AHA recommendations.
Examples of foods that contain unsaturated fats include:
Difference Between Fat and CholesterolCholesterol and fats are both lipids, found in the food you eat and circulating in your bloodstream. Cholesterol has a more complex chemical structure than fats do. In the body, cholesterol is bound to protein as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) orhigh-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL may increase your risk of heart disease, while HDL, often called “good” cholesterol, is considered protective.
Difference Between Fat and Cholesterol
Cholesterol and fats are both lipids, found in the food you eat and circulating in your bloodstream. Cholesterol has a more complex chemical structure than fats do. In the body, cholesterol is bound to protein as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) orhigh-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL may increase your risk of heart disease, while HDL, often called “good” cholesterol, is considered protective.
Which Fats Are Good or Bad in Your Diet?
If you are watching your cholesterol andtriglyceridelevels (another type of fat that circulates in the blood), try to include a variety of healthy foods like lean meats, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.
More research is needed to understand the influence of unsaturated and saturated fats on cardiovascular disease. There is research suggesting that saturated fats are not as bad for heart health as once thought, and studies that don’t find the expected links between LDL cholesterol levels and saturated fats.
Still, a handful of walnuts or a lean piece of beef is considered a better choice for your meals than a bag of chips or sausage links. Both may contain fats, but nuts and lean meat also contain vitamins, minerals, and other healthy nutrients.
The chips and processed meat, meanwhile, may be higher in sugar, chemical preservatives, salt, and trans fats. All of these can have a negative effect on your lipid levels and heart health.
Can You Eat Too Much Unsaturated Fat?Both unsaturated fat and saturated fat add calories (and weight to your waistline) if you consume too much. Practicing moderation is the best way to stay healthy. Additionally, the type of fat-containing foods you consume can make a difference in your lipid levels.
Can You Eat Too Much Unsaturated Fat?
Both unsaturated fat and saturated fat add calories (and weight to your waistline) if you consume too much. Practicing moderation is the best way to stay healthy. Additionally, the type of fat-containing foods you consume can make a difference in your lipid levels.
Summary
Some types of saturated fat are associated with heart disease, but it’s not yet clear how much saturated fat is “safe” or “healthy.” Saturated fat, typically found in beef, butter, margarine, and other animal sources, may not increase your cardiovascular risk simply because they raise LDL.
Still, it’s important to protect heart health and limit the saturated fats in your diet anyway. Choose unsaturated fats as your main source of fats and lipids. This will help you to avoid unhealthy sources of saturated fats known to increase your health risk, such as processed meats.
A Word From VerywellEating more unsaturated fat-rich foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil improves heart health and increases the nutrients in your diet. These foods are packed with beneficial nutrients like antioxidants that protect your body. Limiting saturated fat from meat and highly processed foods in your diet can significantly improve your overall health in the long term.—KARINA TOLENTINO, RD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Eating more unsaturated fat-rich foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil improves heart health and increases the nutrients in your diet. These foods are packed with beneficial nutrients like antioxidants that protect your body. Limiting saturated fat from meat and highly processed foods in your diet can significantly improve your overall health in the long term.—KARINA TOLENTINO, RD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Eating more unsaturated fat-rich foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil improves heart health and increases the nutrients in your diet. These foods are packed with beneficial nutrients like antioxidants that protect your body. Limiting saturated fat from meat and highly processed foods in your diet can significantly improve your overall health in the long term.
—KARINA TOLENTINO, RD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Harvard Health Publishing.Know the facts about fats.
American Heart Association.The skinny on fats.
MedlinePlus.Facts about trans fats.
Kim K, Ginsberg HN, Choi SH.New, Novel Lipid-Lowering Agents for Reducing Cardiovascular Risk: Beyond Statins.Diabetes Metab J. 2022 Jul;46(4):517-532. doi:10.4093/dmj.2022.0198.
Malhotra A, Redberg RF, Meier P.Saturated fat does not clog the arteries: coronary heart disease is a chronic inflammatory condition, the risk of which can be effectively reduced from healthy lifestyle interventions.Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(15):1111-1112. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-097285
DiNicolantonio JJ, Lucan SC, O’Keefe JH.The evidence for saturated fat and for sugar related to coronary heart disease.Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2016;58(5):464-72. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2015.11.006
Vekic J, Zeljkovic A, Cicero AFG, Janez A, Stoian AP, Sonmez A,et al.Atherosclerosis Development and Progression: The Role of Atherogenic Small, Dense LDL.Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 Feb 16;58(2):299. doi:10.3390/medicina58020299
Harvard Medical School.No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fats.
American Heart Association.The facts on fats: 50 years of American Heart Association dietary fats recommendations.
American Heart Association.HDL (good), LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Jakše B, Godnov U, Fras Z, Fidler Mis N.Associations of Dietary Intake with Cardiovascular Risk in Long-Term “Plant-Based Eaters”: A Secondary Analysis of a Cross-Sectional Study.Nutrients. 2024 Mar 11;16(6):796. doi:10.3390/nu16060796
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
