The finding may explain why animal-derived saturated fats like lard and butter are strongly linked to adverse health effects, while unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from plants and cold-water fish like salmon and mackerel are not.
The research revealed that saturated fat blocks the cell membranes at the molecular level, causing abnormal cell signalling that ultimately throws basic metabolism out of whack.
According to the research conducted at the University of California, San Diego, saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature as they contain fatty acids that are saturated with hydrogen atoms and the carbon atoms are bonded to as many hydrogen atoms as possible, whereas unsaturated fats contain fatty acids with a lower ratio of carbon to hydrogen, Live Science reported.
For more than a decade, researchers have known that saturated fats activate enzymes associated with developing insulin resistance and atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, unsaturated fats can block these enzymes within our cells and the enzymes, called Jun kinases, work at a subcellular level.
Working on this prior knowledge, a UCSD team led by Michael Karin speculated that something in cell membranes must be able to differentiate between saturated and unsaturated fats, activating or deactivating Jun kinases and in their new study, the team ultimately identified yet another enzyme, called c-Src, which resides within a cell membrane.
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