Saturated Fats and the Cause of their Defamation

Fatty substances with maximum possible Carbon and Hydrogen atoms in their molecular structures are saturated fats. Conversely, molecular structures of unsaturated fats have less than their maximum possible number of Carbon and Hydrogen structures. This saturation of Carbon and Hydrogen atoms make the saturated fats to get solidified at room temperatures. When such fats are eaten as food, these tend to get solidified in blood vessels of the person, thus, restricting normal flow of blood through the blood vessels. This is supposed to cause disorders of high blood pressure and cardiac arrests. Modern medical practitioners recommend minimum use of saturated fats in foods.

Fatty substances derived from animal bodies are mostly of saturated type while those from vegetation have a major component of unsaturated fats. Even major vegetable oils considered to be health-boosters have saturated component in them varying from 5 to 15 percent. Therefore, consumption of saturated fats as a food ingredient by humans can’t be avoided in totality.

History of Saturated Fats in Human Food

Animal beef, containing saturated fats, has been a food of humans since prehistoric times. Even vegetarians have been using milk and its derivates, containing saturated fat, as an important food item for fulfilling body’s requirement of fats.

In the second instance of saturated fat consumption, Asian countries have a tradition of deriving ghee - a pure animal saturated fat, in their homes and using it as the principal source of gaining good health of body and mind. Mothers - particularly after childbirth, and students are still fed with diet enriched with ghee. A popular saying of India, “maans khaaye maans badhe, ghee khaye khopada” that means – ‘those eating meat, get more flesh in their respective bodies, whereas eating ghee causes development of brain’. Indian system medical practitioners recommend ghee for sharpening memory.  However, the tradition has taken a back seat and ghee production and consumption is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

Vegetable oils have a short shelf life. To enhance it, an industrial process - called hydrogenation, is still being used that converts vegetable oils into saturated fat to solidify at room temperatures. This is popularly known as vegetable ghee and many such industrial plants are still working in India, however, with decreasing production.

All this proves that humans have been preferring saturated fats over unsaturated fats available to them as their food ingredient to get fat for body’s requirement and improve palatability of food. I am not aware whether any researches were done on this matter before such practices of using saturated fats became traditions. The modern trend of avoiding saturated fats is picking up fast with exception of milk and its modern derivatives such as cheese, butter, etc.

The Cause of Defamation of Saturated Fats

With the scientific and industrial progress all over the world to various degrees, major processes have been mechanized leaving little or no scope for physical activities by humans in their routine lifestyles. The west now talks of ‘exercising’ only as the only possibility of physical activity. Even the simplest methods of walking and bicycling to workplaces are conveniently forgotten. This has ushered into anatomical changes in the human body weakening its digestion capability, breathing depth and force of blood circulation through the blood vessels. Rich foods containing saturated fats derived from animals have become not only difficult to get digested but also detrimental to human health through restricting blood circulation. Thus, the principal cause of case against saturated fats is not the characteristics of fats themselves but failure of human community to remain active enough to stay healthy. Two options are available now – restrict on rich foods, or improve upon physical activities in routine lifestyle. The first option is going to further weaken the body anatomically to invite more diseases - not yet imagined, and the second option paves way for better human health.

How amazing? A passive thing remaining as it have always been and favored in the past by a vast humanity is blamed now just because the humans have derailed themselves from the track of gaining good health through physical activities in their routine lives.