What is polyunsaturated Fat?!


Question: What is polyunsaturated Fat!?
We are doing a project in our class and my group's topic is polyunsaturated fat!. What is it and do you have any information about it!? Thanks!Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
In nutrition, polyunsaturated fat is an abbreviation of polyunsaturated fatty acid!. That is a fatty acid in which more than one double bond exists within the representative molecule!. That is, the molecule has two or more points on its structure capable of supporting hydrogen atoms not currently part of the structure!. Polyunsaturated fatty acids can assume a cis or trans conformation depending on the geometry of the double bond!.

Polyunsaturated fat, along with monounsaturated fat are "healthy fats," the amount of which in one's daily diet should be near 25 g (in a 2000 calorie-per-day diet)!.[citation needed] Polyunsaturated fat can be found mostly in grain products, fish and sea food (herring, salmon, mackerel, halibut), soybeans, and fish oil!. Foods like mayonnaise and soft margarine may also be good sources, but nutritional facts can vary by style and brand!. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, fish and seafood lower the total amount of LDL in the blood, which can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease!.[1] Omega-6 fatty acids in sunflower oil and safflower oil also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but can contribute to allergies and inflammation!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Polyunsaturated fat is one of the "good fats" that people talk about (the other being monounsaturated)!. If you know a little chemistry, you can dissect the name in a way that makes sense!. A polyunsaturated fatty acid molecule is composed mainly of carbon atoms bonded together, and then all of those are bonded with hydrogen atoms!. Most of these bonds are single bonds, but in a polyunsaturated fat, 2+ of these bonds are double bonds!. This causes the molecule to bend, or form a 'kink', and it loses its rigid structure!. Because some of these carbons have double bonds, they are missing a hydrogen atom!. So, the 'poly' refers to more than one double bond, and the 'unsaturated' refers to the fact that some carbons do not have the maximum number of hydrogens attached to it!.

Because of the kinks, these molecules cannot stack neatly together!. This causes them to be liquid at room temperature!. Some sources are corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil!.

There are two main types of this fat, and you have probably heard of one of them: omega 3 (which has gotten a lot of attention lately) and omega 6!. The names simply refer to the location of the double bond!.

The roles of fat (I'm referring to ALL fats now) in the body are far-reaching, they are important to virtually every thing our body does!. (they make up a portion of our cell walls, help to transport nutrients to cells, provide cushion and insulation to our major organs, etc)!. A diet too low in fat, therefore, is not good for you!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





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