Polyunsaturated

Polyunsaturated

Adjective · /ˌpɒliʌnˈsætʃəreɪtɪd/ · describing fats with multiple double carbon bonds

Definition

Polyunsaturated describes a type of fat whose molecules contain two or more double bonds between carbon atoms. These fats remain liquid at room temperature and are found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and oily fish. They are widely considered beneficial to heart health. The word is most commonly encountered on food labels and in nutrition science.

Origin

Formed from Greek polys (many) + Latin unsaturated — meaning not fully saturated with hydrogen atoms. The chemistry term saturated fat entered English in the early 20th century; polyunsaturated followed as nutrition science expanded in the 1950s and 1960s. It became a supermarket household word in Britain during the low-fat dietary movement of the 1980s.