What is fat? - George Zaidan

00:04:22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhUrc4BnPgg

Summary

TLDRThis video discusses the health implications of different types of fats found in foods, highlighting the distinction between saturated and unsaturated fats, including the importance of cis and trans configurations. While olive oil, composed mostly of unsaturated fats, is healthier, pancake mix often contains a mix of saturated and trans fats, making it less healthy despite its lower fat content. Triglycerides—composed of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acids—are the primary form of fat. The shape and bonding of these fatty acids greatly impact their health effects. Trans fats are particularly harmful due to their interference with bodily pathways, so identifying 'partially hydrogenated' ingredients is crucial to avoiding them. Overall, the key takeaway is that the type of fat matters more than the fat quantity.

Takeaways

  • 🛢️ Olive oil is healthy due to unsaturated fats.
  • 🥞 Pancake mix has unhealthy saturated and trans fats.
  • 🔬 The structure of fats (cis vs trans) affects health.
  • 📜 Check 'partially hydrogenated' labels for trans fats.
  • 🧬 Triglycerides are made of glycerol and fatty acids.
  • 🧊 Saturated fats have single bonds; unsaturated have double.
  • ⚖️ Fat type is more important than fat amount.
  • 🧪 Trans fats are detrimental despite being unsaturated.
  • 👀 FDA labeling can be misleading for trans fat content.
  • 🔗 Bond types and 3D shape determine fat's healthiness.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:22

    Olive oil is entirely fat, while pancake mix contains a small percentage of fat. However, olive oil is healthier because the type of fat consumed affects health more than the quantity. Fat is made of molecules called triglycerides; their structure determines the health impact, not the amount. Unsaturated fats are generally healthy, while saturated fats are less so. The configuration of unsaturated fats further determines their effect on health, with trans fats being particularly harmful despite being unsaturated. Trans fats can often be identified in foods through the label 'partially hydrogenated.' Therefore, understanding fat types and configurations is crucial, as demonstrated by comparing olive oil and pancake mix, emphasizing the importance of fat types over amounts.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What are the main types of fats?

    The main types of fats are saturated, unsaturated (which includes cis and trans fats).

  • Why might olive oil be considered healthier than pancake mix?

    Olive oil is mostly composed of unsaturated fats, whereas pancake mix contains a higher proportion of saturated and trans fats.

  • What factors determine whether a fat is healthy or not?

    The type of bond in the fatty acids and their 3-D shape determine if a fat is healthy or not.

  • What are triglycerides composed of?

    Triglycerides are made up of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid chains.

  • What language is this document written in?

    The document is in English.

  • Why are trans fats considered unhealthy?

    Trans fats are unhealthy because they disrupt metabolic processes and pathways, leading to worse health outcomes than even saturated fats.

  • How can you identify if a food has trans fats?

    Check for the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients list.

  • What is the difference between cis and trans fats?

    Cis fats have hydrogens on the same side of the double bond, while trans fats have hydrogens on opposite sides, impacting their healthiness.

  • What is the role of fatty acids' bond types?

    Fatty acids with only single bonds are saturated, while those with double bonds can be unsaturated, affecting the behavior and health impact of fats.

  • How can a label show zero trans fats when there's still some present?

    Manufacturers can claim "0" grams of trans fat if the content is less than half a gram per serving.

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  • 00:00:00
    Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby
  • 00:00:13
    Olive oil is 100% fat;
  • 00:00:15
    there's nothing else in it.
  • 00:00:16
    Pancake mix, on the other hand,
  • 00:00:18
    is only about 11% fat.
  • 00:00:20
    And, yet, olive oil is good for you,
  • 00:00:22
    and pancake mix is not.
  • 00:00:24
    Why is that?
  • 00:00:27
    As it turns out,
  • 00:00:28
    the amount of fat we eat
  • 00:00:29
    doesn't impact our weight
  • 00:00:30
    or our cholesterol
  • 00:00:31
    or our risk of heart disease
  • 00:00:33
    nearly as much as what kind of fat we eat.
  • 00:00:35
    But let's back up:
  • 00:00:37
    What is fat?
  • 00:00:39
    If we were to zoom in on a salmon,
  • 00:00:40
    which is a fatty fish,
  • 00:00:42
    past the organs,
  • 00:00:42
    past the tissues,
  • 00:00:43
    into the cells,
  • 00:00:45
    we would see that the stuff we call fat
  • 00:00:47
    is actually made up of molecules called triglycerides,
  • 00:00:50
    and they are not all alike.
  • 00:00:52
    Here's one example.
  • 00:00:53
    Those three carbons on the left, that's glycerol.
  • 00:00:55
    Now, you can think of that as the backbone
  • 00:00:57
    that holds the rest of the molecule together.
  • 00:00:59
    The three long chains on the right
  • 00:01:00
    are called fatty acids,
  • 00:01:02
    and it's subtle differences in the structures of these chains
  • 00:01:05
    that determine whether a fat is,
  • 00:01:06
    let's say, solid or liquid;
  • 00:01:08
    whether or not it goes rancid quickly;
  • 00:01:11
    and, most importantly, how good or how bad it is for you.
  • 00:01:15
    Let's take a look at some of these differences.
  • 00:01:17
    One is length.
  • 00:01:18
    Fatty acids can be short or long.
  • 00:01:20
    Another, more important difference
  • 00:01:21
    is the type of bond between the carbon atoms.
  • 00:01:24
    Some fatty acids have only single bonds.
  • 00:01:26
    Others have both single and double bonds.
  • 00:01:29
    Fatty acids with only single bonds
  • 00:01:31
    are called saturated,
  • 00:01:32
    and those with one or more double bonds
  • 00:01:34
    are called unsaturated.
  • 00:01:36
    Now, most unsaturated fats are good for you,
  • 00:01:39
    while saturated fats are bad for you in excess.
  • 00:01:42
    For saturated fats, the story pretty much ends there
  • 00:01:44
    but not for unsaturated fats.
  • 00:01:47
    The double bonds in these molecules
  • 00:01:48
    have a kind of weird property;
  • 00:01:50
    they're rigid.
  • 00:01:52
    So, that means there are two ways
  • 00:01:54
    to arrange every double bond.
  • 00:01:55
    The first is like this,
  • 00:01:57
    where both hydrogens are on same side
  • 00:01:58
    and both carbons are on the same side.
  • 00:02:00
    The second way is like this.
  • 00:02:02
    Now the hydrogens and carbons
  • 00:02:04
    are on opposite sides of the double bond.
  • 00:02:06
    Now, even though both of these molecules
  • 00:02:08
    are made up of exactly the same building blocks,
  • 00:02:10
    they are two completely different substances,
  • 00:02:13
    and they behave completely differently inside of us.
  • 00:02:16
    The configuration on the left is called CIS,
  • 00:02:18
    which you've probably never heard of.
  • 00:02:20
    The one of the right is called TRANS,
  • 00:02:22
    and you probably have heard of trans fats before.
  • 00:02:24
    They don't go rancid,
  • 00:02:25
    they're more stable during deep frying,
  • 00:02:27
    and they can change the texture of foods
  • 00:02:29
    in ways that other fats just can't.
  • 00:02:31
    They're also terrible for your health,
  • 00:02:34
    by far worse than saturated fat,
  • 00:02:35
    even though technically they're a type
  • 00:02:38
    of unsaturated fat.
  • 00:02:39
    Now, I know that seems crazy,
  • 00:02:41
    but your body doesn't care
  • 00:02:42
    what a molecule looks like on paper.
  • 00:02:44
    All that matters is the 3-D shape
  • 00:02:46
    where the molecule fits,
  • 00:02:47
    where it doesn't,
  • 00:02:48
    and what pathways it interferes with.
  • 00:02:50
    So, how do you know if a food
  • 00:02:51
    has trans fat in it?
  • 00:02:53
    Well, the only sure way to know
  • 00:02:55
    is if you see the words,
  • 00:02:56
    "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients list.
  • 00:02:59
    Don't let nutrition labels or advertising fool you.
  • 00:03:02
    The FDA allows manufacturers to claim
  • 00:03:04
    that their products contain
  • 00:03:05
    "0" grams of trans fat
  • 00:03:08
    even if they actually have up to half a gram per serving.
  • 00:03:12
    But there are no hard and fast rules
  • 00:03:14
    about how small a serving can be,
  • 00:03:15
    and, that means, you'll have to rely on seeing those key words,
  • 00:03:18
    partially hydrogenated,
  • 00:03:20
    because that's how trans fats are made,
  • 00:03:22
    by partially hydrogenating unsaturated fats.
  • 00:03:25
    So, let's go back to our olive oil and pancake mix from before.
  • 00:03:28
    Olive oil is 100% fat.
  • 00:03:31
    Pancake mix is only 11% fat.
  • 00:03:34
    But olive oil is mostly unsaturated fat,
  • 00:03:37
    and it has no trans fat at all.
  • 00:03:39
    On the other hand, more than half the fat
  • 00:03:42
    in pancake mix is either saturated or trans fat.
  • 00:03:45
    And, so, even though olive oil has 10 times
  • 00:03:47
    as much fat as pancake mix,
  • 00:03:49
    it's healthy for you,
  • 00:03:50
    whereas pancake mix is not.
  • 00:03:52
    Now, I'm not trying to pick on pancake mix.
  • 00:03:54
    There are lots of foods
  • 00:03:55
    with this type of fat profile.
  • 00:03:57
    The point is this:
  • 00:03:58
    It's not how much fat you eat,
  • 00:04:00
    it's what kind of fat.
  • 00:04:01
    And what makes a particular fat healthy or unhealthy
  • 00:04:04
    is its shape.
Tags
  • fats
  • health
  • saturated
  • unsaturated
  • olive oil
  • pancake mix
  • trans fats
  • triglycerides
  • nutrition
  • cis configuration