The benefits of saturated fat are often thought to trigger heart disease

Saturated fat is often associated with the risk of high cholesterol, stroke, and heart disease. The relationship between saturated fat and these various diseases is indeed close. However, saturated fat also has benefits. The body actually requires saturated fat intake within a certain limit in order to carry out its functions properly.

Why are saturated fats considered "bad"?

There are three kinds of fat, namely unsaturated fats, saturated fats, and trans fats. Unsaturated fats are healthy fats that are found mostly in fatty fish, nuts and seeds, and some types of vegetable oils.

Trans fats are the "bad" fats that are found in junk food , fried foods, sweet foods, and processed products. Saturated fat itself stands between the "good fats" and "bad fats".

The view of saturated fat as "bad" fat is still held today because of its effect on increasing LDL cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels can indeed lead to the risk of heart disease. Even so, there is no research that proves that the two are directly related.

Another statement states that saturated fat actually has benefits for the body. Once absorbed by the intestines, saturated fat will be converted into energy so that the body can carry out various functions.

Then, what are the benefits of saturated fat for health?

Based on the protein carrier, cholesterol in your body is divided into two types.

The first type is high density lipoprotein (HDL), which is good cholesterol that can protect you from the risk of heart disease. The second type of cholesterol is low density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL is called bad cholesterol because it can trigger plaque formation in blood vessels if the levels are excessive. This plaque then increases the risk of heart disease.

However, please note that not all LDL has the same adverse effects. Based on the particle size, LDL is subdivided into two subtypes, namely:

Small dense LDL. Small LDL particles are easier to penetrate blood vessels so they quickly form cholesterol plaques.
LDL is large in size that cannot penetrate blood vessels.

Saturated fat can indeed increase the amount of LDL. However, saturated fat has a lesser known benefit, namely converting small dense LDL to larger size LDL.

In this way, LDL cannot penetrate blood vessels easily. Cholesterol plaques are increasingly difficult to form in blood vessels. In fact, several types of saturated fat with different carbon chains can also increase the amount of HDL.

Instead of causing heart disease, all of these conditions can actually lower the risk. Even so, don't forget that you still need to monitor your intake of saturated fat that is consumed every day.

The healthy way to get the benefits of saturated fat

The food you eat contains different amounts of each type of fat. You can still eat foods containing saturated fat, but the amount should not exceed 10 percent of the total daily calorie intake.

If your daily calorie requirement is 2,000 kcal, this means that saturated fat intake should not exceed 200 kcal or the equivalent of 22 grams. Natural foods such as beef, eggs, and avocado actually contain saturated fat, but the amount is small so it is safe to eat.

As an illustration, there are 4 grams of saturated fat in a piece of beef and 1.5 grams of saturated fat in an egg. In fact, avocado which is rich in healthy fats also contains as much as 2.4 grams of saturated fat.

Apart from the amount, also pay attention to the sources of saturated fat that you consume. Avoid saturated fat that comes from junk food and fried foods because the amounts are much higher than those found in natural foods.

Junk food like a burger, for example, can contain more than 10 grams of saturated fat. This is due to the processing process junk food usually use large amounts of oil.

Saturated fat is not completely detrimental to health. In fact, the body needs it as a source of energy. The key is to control your total daily intake so that you can get the benefits of saturated fat without the adverse effects.