Saturated fats

Saturated fats are fats with no double bonds in their carbon chains. They are mostly solid at room temperature and are found in fatty meat, butter, ghee, cheese, coconut and palm oil. Eating a lot of saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, so health guidelines advise keeping it low.

What is it?

Saturated fatty acids include palmitic acid (the most common), stearic acid and lauric acid (high in coconut oil). The body can make them, so there is no dietary requirement. Their effects on blood cholesterol vary a little by type and food, but overall they raise LDL cholesterol compared with unsaturated fat.

What it does

1. Provide energy at 9 kilocalories per gram
2. Are part of cell membranes and are used to make other fats
3. Carry fat-soluble vitamins in foods that contain them

Food sources

Fatty cuts of beef, pork and lamb, chicken skin, processed meats (sausages, bacon), butter, ghee, cream, cheese, full-fat milk, coconut milk and oil, palm oil, lard, pastry, biscuits, cakes and many fried and fast foods.

Singapore food examples

1. Coconut milk (santan) in laksa, curries, rendang and nasi lemak
2. Ghee, butter and margarine in roti prata, kaya toast and baked goods
3. Fatty meat, roast pork, char siew, chicken skin and processed meats
4. Deep-fried snacks, curry puffs and fried chicken
5. Cream, cheese and rich cakes and pastries
6. Swap in fish, skinless chicken, tofu, olive or canola oil and low-fat dairy more often

How much do I need?

Singapore's dietary guidelines recommend that saturated fat provide less than 10 percent of daily energy — about 22 g on a 2,000-kilocalorie diet — see Singapore's dietary guidelines for adults (HealthHub). Singapore's RDA table does not list saturated fat.

Low intake and deficiency

There is no deficiency; the body makes the saturated fat it needs, and it is not an essential nutrient.

Too much and safety

A high saturated fat intake raises LDL ("bad") cholesterol, which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. The biggest benefit comes from replacing it with unsaturated fat (olive and canola oil, nuts, fish) or wholegrains, rather than with refined carbohydrate or sugar.

Foods differ — yoghurt, cheese and dark chocolate appear less harmful than butter and processed meat — but high intakes of saturated fat overall are best avoided.

Absorption and bioavailability

Absorbed well in the small intestine, though stearic acid is absorbed less than other saturated fats. Saturated fat is stable when heated, which is why it is used in frying and pastry, but this does not make it healthy.

Connection to daily life

1. Heart health: lowering saturated fat is among the most reliable ways to lower LDL cholesterol
2. Eating out: choose grilled, steamed or boiled instead of fried, and ask for less gravy and coconut-based sauces
3. Healthy weight: fatty foods are energy dense

Sources: 1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (2005) 2. HealthHub Singapore — Recommended Dietary Allowances: https://www.healthhub.sg/well-being-and-lifestyle/food-diet-and-nutrition/recommended_dietary_allowances 3. HealthHub Singapore — Dietary guidelines for adults: https://www.healthhub.sg/well-being-and-lifestyle/food-diet-and-nutrition/dietary_guidelines_adults 4. Health Promotion Board — Singapore Food Insights Database (SG FoodID): https://www.hpb.gov.sg/healthy-living/food-and-beverage/sgfoodid/ 5. FAO/INFOODS — Food composition tables and databases: https://www.fao.org/food-composition/tables-and-databases/en/