saturated fat

American  

noun

Nutrition.

• saturated fats
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• saturated fats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of saturated fat

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

saturated fat

The island nation's cuisine predominantly consists of fish, vegetables, and rice - and less saturated fat than many Western diets.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Current dietary guidance generally recommends keeping saturated fat below 10% of daily calories and choosing unsaturated fats when possible.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Tallow consists of a much higher amount of saturated fat compared to our own sebum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Many ultraprocessed foods are unhealthy because they are high in added sugars, sodium and saturated fat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 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 Mitzi Perdue