Question

what does the term unsaturated fat on a food label mean

Answer 1

In food, unsaturated fat contains fewer calories.
Unsaturated fat also decomposes and goes rancid more quickly.

Eating unsaturated fats IS better than eating saturated fats.
That's because saturated fats will build more cholesterol in the blood.

But there's ONE exception:

Trans fats are bad.

Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat.
But because of the way that trans fats are shaped, it's easier for them to build up in your arteries. And that can definitely cause heart problems.

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Here's the science:


Unsaturated fat means there is at least one double bond, between the carbon atoms, in the fatty acid chain.

The reason they call it "unsaturated" fat is because if you have double bonds in a fatty acid chain, you have less hydrogen atoms.

**It is "unsaturated" with hydrogen atoms.**

I'll post a picture, to show the difference between a saturated, and an unsaturated fatty acid.

You see how there are more double bonds, between the carbon atoms, in the unsaturated fatty acid?

And there are more hydrogen atoms in the saturated one.
It's "saturated" with hydrogen atoms.

Answer 2

WHAT A DUMB QUESTION !