Cis fat

The top molecule A is a trans fatty acid; the bottom molecule B is a cis fatty acid.

A cis fat is the opposite of a trans fat: an unsaturated fat with carbon atoms on the same side of a carbon-carbon double bond. This gives the molecule a bent shape, unlike the mostly straight shape of trans fats. Most unsaturated fats made in living things are cis fats, though some animals like cows make small amounts of trans fats as part of their metabolism.

Cis and trans fats are named after cis-trans isomerism, the chemical name for this difference in structure.

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