Monounsaturated fat

Monounsaturated fat contains fatty-acid chains with exactly one carbon–carbon double bond. It occurs in foods such as olive oil, avocados, and some nuts.

Fatty acid: A carboxylic acid with a hydrocarbon chain, commonly found as a component of fats and oils. Monounsaturated fats are classified by the number of double bonds in their fatty-acid chains.
Olive oil: An edible oil extracted from olives, rich in oleic acid. Its high oleic-acid content makes it a prominent dietary source.
Saturated fat: Fat whose fatty-acid chains contain no carbon–carbon double bonds. Its chains lack the double bond that defines monounsaturated fat.
Low-density lipoprotein: A lipoprotein particle that transports cholesterol from the liver to tissues and is associated with atherosclerosis when elevated. Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, including monounsaturated fat, can lower LDL cholesterol.
Carbon–carbon double bond: A covalent bond in which two carbon atoms share two pairs of electrons. One such bond in a fatty-acid chain defines monounsaturation.
Avocado: A fruit whose edible flesh contains substantial oil, much of it monounsaturated. Its fatty-acid profile makes it a whole-food source of monounsaturated fat.
Polyunsaturated fat: Fat whose fatty-acid chains contain two or more carbon–carbon double bonds. It differs by having multiple double bonds rather than exactly one.
High-density lipoprotein: A lipoprotein particle involved in transporting cholesterol from tissues toward the liver. Dietary-fat substitutions can also affect HDL cholesterol, though its level alone does not establish health benefit.
Cis–trans isomerism: A form of stereoisomerism caused by different arrangements around a restricted bond, often a carbon–carbon double bond. The geometry of a fatty acid’s single double bond affects its shape and physical properties.
Canola oil: An edible oil from low-erucic-acid rapeseed, containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It supplies monounsaturated fat and is commonly used for cooking.

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