Fats in the Tayyibat Diet: Rethinking Saturated, Unsaturated, and Hydrogenated Fats

Fats in the Tayyibat Diet

There is widespread debate about fats: are they beneficial or harmful? Should they be consumed or avoided? What is the difference between hydrogenated, saturated, and unsaturated fats, and even so-called rare fats? Opinions on this matter are often mixed, especially with the spread of diets such as keto that allow fat consumption.

Dr. El-Awady responded to this debate, adding that fats are not polymers like carbohydrates (polysaccharides) or proteins (polypeptides or amino acids).

 Rather, they are chemical compounds with a distinct nature, produced through a condensation reaction between alcohols and acids, forming fats. They share common properties such as a glossy fatty texture, being liquid at room temperature, and potentially solidifying upon cooling.

Saturated fats are those whose fatty acids do not contain double bonds between carbon atoms; instead, all bonds are single, meaning they are saturated with hydrogen atoms.

 Notably, the human body is capable of synthesizing these saturated fatty acids on its own, even chains of up to 16 carbon atoms, without the presence of double bonds.

Based on this, some researchers believe that linking high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels directly to clot formation (vascular events / strokes), and then considering saturated fats as the direct cause, may be an oversimplification.

In contrast, unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, have significant benefits, as they are involved in the synthesis of important biological compounds such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which play a role in regulating inflammation and various body functions .

Saturated fats are synthesized and stored in the body, and it is suggested that they may not be harmful in themselves as commonly believed. The idea that atherosclerosis  occurs due to the accumulation of solid fats on the walls of blood vessels is considered, in this perspective, a superficial explanation; since fats at body temperature are in a liquid state, the concept of them hardening in this manner is not considered physically accurate.

If we assume that fats are the cause of atherosclerosis , then low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is originally a product of the body’s own synthesis, not directly from dietary fats. The fats we consume do not enter the bloodstream directly; instead, they first pass through the lymphatic system and then return to the liver after being partially utilized in various body functions.

After that, the liver regulates the production of lipoproteins, all of which are derived from liver cells themselves, representing different stages within a single biological cycle with similar functions.

As for hydrogenated fats, they are vegetable oils that have undergone hydrogenation to transform them from a liquid to a solid form, such as margarine.

The body is capable of handling fats in their different forms, as it has mechanisms to regulate their use and synthesis according to its needs.

Dr. El-Awady explains that fats are among the nutritional components that the body handles smoothly and without stress, as they do not trigger a direct immune response.

 When fats enter the body, a suitable environment is prepared for their digestion: bile salts are secreted from the gallbladder, pancreatic enzymes are added to break them down, and then they are packaged into particles called chylomicrons, which travel through the lymphatic system rather than entering the bloodstream directly.

Therefore, it is not accurate to make a simplistic link between fat consumption and the immediate appearance of symptoms, or to consider fats harmful simply because they are high in fat content. In fact, fats also have medical uses; in some cases of drug toxicity, intravenous fat emulsions are used to help reduce the toxicity of certain medications.

Accordingly, the belief that dietary fats move directly into the bloodstream and deposit in the arteries is an inaccurate oversimplification, as there are complex mechanisms that separate the digestive system from the circulatory system. Fats are an essential part of nutrition, with different types depending on their source.

El-Awady also emphasizes that all fats, in general, are beneficial. The human body and its cell membranes are entirely composed of fats.

He argues that focusing only on triglycerides or cholesterol is limiting, while the body also contains phospholipids that form the membranes of all cells. All forty trillion cells in the human body require fats more than amino acids or proteins, as fats represent the primary fuel. Oils and fats are beneficial to the body, safe for the digestive and immune systems, and do not provoke immune reactions.

In general, any oil is considered healthy for the body, regardless of the debate over whether fats are beneficial or harmful, whether we should eat them or not, or whether they are hydrogenated, saturated, unsaturated, or rare.