I don't mean to reignite this whole debate, but I think it is important to point this out because I personally believe it helps us to understand the whole saturated fat controversy better. Saturated fat inhibits the PDK enzyme and promotes the PDH enzyme. So it makes logical sense that it will likely support glucose burning better than fat burning. The only exception here is the MCTs that go straight to the liver via portal vein. They can be processed quicker and turned into ketones.
However the most important factor worth discussing is the intestinal health of the individual. Saturated fats are good at increasing absorption in the gut, like with all the oily vitamins that are frequently mentioned. However that increase in absorption will also result in greater translocation of bacteria and endotoxins. If you have bad intestinal health, and you end up pulling more LPS into your bloodstream, then this will inevitably result in a inflammatory reaction.
This is likely a very good explanation why the scientific literature on saturated fats is essentially all over the place. If people have intestinal dysbiosis, which 80-90% of the western world have it on some degree, you're going to experience an increase in inflammatory markers on a high saturated fat diet. Additionally, pulling more LPS into the blood will elicit a immune response, which will also drive up people's LDL, explaining why saturated fat has been shown in certain studies to increase LDL.
This is essentially my take on the topic. Saturaed fat is pulling more nutrients into your body, but unfortunately it's also pulling more of the bad stuff in as well. This is more of an issue with digestive health, rather then saturated fat being good or bad. I think in regards to the latter, it's pretty straightforward that saturated fat stabilizes the cell. I also think it's rather telling that our body will make SFAs from glucose, but not linoleic acid. I would argue the contrarian position in this matter. If something is truly "essential" for us to have, the organism will have a way to make it if it's not found in the immediate environment. Given this, I would actually say saturated fat is the only true "essential fatty acid." Of course, we will make our own unsaturated fats as well, but mead acid is desaturated from SFAs, and reacts in the organism quite different from the O-6 and O3 fats. Also I think mead acid is a omega 9, so technically it's a MUFA not PUFA.
All this being said, I think focusing on intestinal health and keeping serotonin low should be the prime objective. And you can do this much more efficiently by focusing on eating sugar/glucose, not dietary fats. If we need saturated fats, we'll just make them. Keeping dietary fat low (7% to 15%), and getting the bulk of your dietary fat from the MCTs which are TLR4 antagonists seems preferable.
However the most important factor worth discussing is the intestinal health of the individual. Saturated fats are good at increasing absorption in the gut, like with all the oily vitamins that are frequently mentioned. However that increase in absorption will also result in greater translocation of bacteria and endotoxins. If you have bad intestinal health, and you end up pulling more LPS into your bloodstream, then this will inevitably result in a inflammatory reaction.
This is likely a very good explanation why the scientific literature on saturated fats is essentially all over the place. If people have intestinal dysbiosis, which 80-90% of the western world have it on some degree, you're going to experience an increase in inflammatory markers on a high saturated fat diet. Additionally, pulling more LPS into the blood will elicit a immune response, which will also drive up people's LDL, explaining why saturated fat has been shown in certain studies to increase LDL.
This is essentially my take on the topic. Saturaed fat is pulling more nutrients into your body, but unfortunately it's also pulling more of the bad stuff in as well. This is more of an issue with digestive health, rather then saturated fat being good or bad. I think in regards to the latter, it's pretty straightforward that saturated fat stabilizes the cell. I also think it's rather telling that our body will make SFAs from glucose, but not linoleic acid. I would argue the contrarian position in this matter. If something is truly "essential" for us to have, the organism will have a way to make it if it's not found in the immediate environment. Given this, I would actually say saturated fat is the only true "essential fatty acid." Of course, we will make our own unsaturated fats as well, but mead acid is desaturated from SFAs, and reacts in the organism quite different from the O-6 and O3 fats. Also I think mead acid is a omega 9, so technically it's a MUFA not PUFA.
All this being said, I think focusing on intestinal health and keeping serotonin low should be the prime objective. And you can do this much more efficiently by focusing on eating sugar/glucose, not dietary fats. If we need saturated fats, we'll just make them. Keeping dietary fat low (7% to 15%), and getting the bulk of your dietary fat from the MCTs which are TLR4 antagonists seems preferable.