Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) contain single bonds throughout the hydrocarbon chain. All the carbon binding sites are "saturated" with hydrogen atoms resulting in no double bonds in the fatty acids structure.
Primary SFAs include lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. SFAs are mostly solid in room temperature. Animal foods such as meat fat, cream, milk, cheese and lard are the dominant sources although there are some plant sources too, such as coconut and palm oils.
Research shows that a diet high in SFAs is associated with increased total and LDL cholesterol levels and a consequent increase in risk of heart disease. It is recommended that no more than 10% of our calories come from SFAs. Average intakes in the UK are higher than recommended. Despite the negative health effects of SFAs it is not possible nor advisable to achieve a diet containing no saturated fat because all fats and oils contains some saturated fat.
Research indicates that not all SFAs are equal. Stearic acid has been shown in research to behave differently to other long chain SFAs, lauric acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid. Stearic acid is found mostly in red meats and cocoa butter, which is the main ingredient in chocolate. A number of research studies have shown that unlike other SFAs stearic acid has a neutral effect on cholesterol levels.
