Test Your Knowledge

Unsaturated fat is a type of fat mostly derived from plant and nut oils and includes polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Unsaturated fat is considered to be the healthiest form of fat. It does not raise “bad” cholesterol levels, but may raise “good” cholesterol levels in many cases.

All fats contain both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. However, unsaturated fat is made up of triglycerides in which most of the fatty acids are unsaturated.

There are two types of unsaturated fats, both of which are primarily found in oils derived from plants:

• Monounsaturated fat. Type of fat that remains in a liquid state when kept at room temperature, but may solidify when placed in the refrigerator.
  
  
• Polyunsaturated fat. Usually remains in a liquid state both when kept at room temperature and when refrigerated.

In some cases, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are partially hydrogenated, meaning that hydrogen molecules are added to make the fat more solid (e.g., margarine, shortening) and more resistant to spoilage. The hydrogenation process changes these fats to trans fatty acids, which are not healthy fats and actually have similar health effects as saturated fats.

Unsaturated fats can help lower a person’s total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. A type of polyunsaturated fat known as an omega 3 fatty acid particularly appears to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease.