saturated fat

American  

noun

Nutrition.

1. a type of single-bond animal or vegetable fat, as that found in butter, meat, egg yolks, and coconut or palm oil, that in humans tends to increase cholesterol levels in the blood.

---

saturated fat Scientific  

1. A fat with a triglyceride molecule containing three saturated fatty acids. All carbon atoms in the fatty acid chains of saturated fats are connected by single bonds. Most fats derived from animal sources are saturated fats. Eating foods high in saturated fats can lead to elevated cholesterol levels in the blood.

2. Compare unsaturated fat

---

Etymology

Origin of saturated fat

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

One cup of Man Cereal has an astounding seven grams of saturated fat.

From Salon • May 23, 2026

It doesn’t say anything about eating red meat that is high in saturated fat.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

It said Gail's smoked chicken Caesar club also had over 1,000 calories and 90% of an adult's daily saturated fat intake.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Most ultraprocessed foods would be considered junk food and are high in added sugars, saturated fat and sodium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Further, to assure the chicken is as low in saturated fat as possible, Perdue uses only polyunsaturated soybean oil.

From The Perdue Chicken Cookbook by Perdue, Mitzi