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We need natural saturated fat in our diets. The important phospholipids that form the membranes in all of our cells are made of mostly (half or more) saturated fatty acids. This is especially true for parts of our brains where more than 80 percent of the phospholipids carry half of their fatty acids as saturated fatty acids.

When it comes to our lungs, the very important phospholipid class called lung surfactant is a special phospholipid with 100 percent saturated fatty acids. It is called dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and there are two saturated palmitic acid molecules attached to it. When people consume a lot of partially hydrogenated fats and oils, the trans fatty acids are put into the phospholipids where the body normally wants to have saturated fatty acids and the lungs may not work effectively. Some research has suggested that trans fatty acids are causing asthma in children.

Recent research shows that having enough saturated fat prevents stroke; and to protect our kidneys from disease, research shows we need certain kinds of saturated fatty acids, which are found only in the natural fats such as animal fats and coconut and palm kernel oils.

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This article contains a reprint of a work entitled “Saturated Fats and the Lungs”, by Mary G. Enig, PhD. It is covered by a Creative Commons license. SUMMARY OF THE CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION LICENSE for this work: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0: You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work; to make derivative works. Under the following conditions: (1) Attribution --You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor; (2) Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes; (3) Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Please go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/ to view more information about the Creative Commons license that applies to this work.

“Saturated Fats and the Lungs” (3)

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