Abstract
One of the most common warnings in dietary guidelines worldwide is to
avoid saturated fat. However, there is no clear definition of what a
saturated fat is. There are four definitions that have been used to
describe saturated fat: amount of saturated fatty acids in grams per 100
grams, % fatty acid profile, iodine value, and solid fat. The current
description of “saturated fat” does not distinguish between fats and
oils, which are mainly triglycerides of fatty acids, and whole food
items, which contain proteins and minerals and much lower amounts of
triglycerides. Secondly, the current classification of saturated fat
ignores the difference in the cholesterol content of vegetable oils and
animal fats. The first definition of saturated fat was based on iodine
values which does not give fatty acid composition. This classification
is still used today by various dietary guidelines. The use of solid fat
as a defining property of saturated fat is based on the melting of a fat
at room temperature. This is not scientifically precise. This paper
discusses the confusion due to the multiple definitions of saturated
fat. The following are proposed to overcome this situation: first, fats
and oils and animal-derived whole food items should be considered in
separate categories based on their lipid content; second, the saturated
fatty acid composition measured in grams per 100 grams (g/100 g) should
be used as the basis for classifying fats and oils as saturated fat; and
third, a new category of meso-fat is proposed.