The LIPIDS

The

lipid family includes triglycerides

(fats & oils), phospholipids & sterols.

Triglycerides

predominate, both in
foods and in the body

View of Fatty Acids and Triglycerides

Every triglycerides contains 1 molecule of

glycerol and 3 fatty acids (basically chains
of carbon atoms).

Fatty acids may be 4-24 carbons long, the

18-carbon ones being the most common in
foods.

The predominant lipids both in foods & in the

body are triglycerides

Triglyceride is the chief form of fat in the diet and

the major storage form of fat in the body.

It is composed of 1 molecule of glycerol & 3 fatty

acids.

Glycerol is an alcohol composed of 3-carbon

cahin, which can serve as the backbone of
triglyceride

FATTY ACIDS

It is an organic acid a chain of carbon

atoms w/ hydrogens attached that has an
acid group at one end &a methyl group at
the other end.

Acetic Acid is the simplest w/ a chain

only 2 atoms long.

Fatty Acids vary in the length of their

carbon chains, their degrees of unsaturation,
and the location of their double bond(s).

Those that are fully loaded w/ hydrogen are

saturated.

Those that are missing hydrogens &

therefore have double bonds are unsaturated
(monounsaturated or polyunsaturated

The vast majority of triglycerides contain more than

one type of fatty acid.

Fatty acid saturation affects fats physical

characteristics and storage properties.
Polyunsaturated vegetable oils are liquid at room temp.
More saturated animal fats are solid.
Butter is harder than margarine bec.butter is more
saturated than margarine.

The shorter the carbon chain, the softer the fat is at

room temp.

Saturation influences stability.

All fats become rancid when exposed to
oxygen.
Polyunsaturated fatty acid spoil most
readily because their double bonds are
unstable.
Oxidation of unsaturated fats produces a
variety of compounds that smell & taste
rancid.
Saturated fats are more resistant to
oxidation thus less likely to become rancid.

1.

2.

3.

Manufacturers can protect fatcontaining products against rancidity in

3 ways:
Products may be sealed air-tight &
refrigerated.
Antioxidant may be added to compete for
oxygen. Ex. Of additives: BHA & BHT &
Vit. C & E
By saturating some or all of the points of
unsaturation by adding hydrogen
molecules - Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation a chemical process by w/c

hydrogen ions are added to
monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats to
reduce the number of double bonds, making
the fats more saturated (solid) & more
resistant to oxidation (protecting against
rancidity).

Hydrogenation produces trans-fatty acids

Trans-fatty acids behave more like

saturated fats than like unsaturated fats.

An altered fatty acid that may have health

effects similar to saturated fatty acids.

PHOSPHOLIPIDS

A compound similar to a triglyveride but

having a phosphate group (a phosphoruscontaining salt) and choline ( or another
nitrogen-containing compound) in place of
one of the fatty acid.

The best known phospholipid is lecithin.

The fatty acid make phospholipids soluble

in fat
The phosphate group allows them to
dissolve in water.
Both nature & the food industry use lecithin
as an emulsifier to combine 2 ingredients
that do not ordinarily mix, such as water &
oil.

Because phospholipids can dissolve in both

water and fat, they can help lipids move
back & forth across the cell membrane into
the watery fluids on both sides.

The liver makes from scratch all the lecithin

a person needs.

STEROLS

A compounds composed of C, H, & O

atoms arranged in rings, like those of
cholesterol, with any of a variety of side
chains attached.

The most famous sterol is cholesterol

Foods derived from both plants & animals contain

sterols, but only those from animals contain
cholesterol.

Many vitally important body compounds are

sterols such as:
Bile acids
Sex hormones (testosterone)
Adrenal hormones (cortisol)
Vitamin D
As well as cholesterol itself

The liver is manufacturing cholesterol from

fragments of CHO, CHON, & fats. It makes
about 800-1,500 mg of cholesterol per day.

Cholesterols harmful effects in the body

occur when it forms deposits in the artery
wall.

In Summary the Members of the Lipid

Family include:

Triglycerides (fats & oil), which are made of:

- Glycerol (1 per triglyceride) and
- Fatty acids (3 per triglyceride). Depending on the
number of double bonds, fatty acids may be:
Saturated
Monosaturated, or
Polyunsaturated. Depending on the location of double
bonds
-Omega-3
-Omega-6

.lipid family include:

Phospholipids (lecithin)
Sterols (cholesterol)

DIGESTION

The goal of fat digestion is to dismantle

triglycerides into small molecules that the
body can absorb & use namely,
monoglycerides, fatty acids & glycerol.

Fats are hydrophobic

Enzyme for digesting fats are hydrophilic

The body makes special arrangements to

digest & absorb lipids.

It provides the emulsifier bile to make them

accessible to the fat-digesting lipases that
dismantle triglycerides, mostly
monoglycerides & fatty acids, for
absorption by the intestinal cells.

The intestinal cells assemble freshly

absorbed lipids into chylomicrons, lipid
packages with CHON escorts, for transport
so that cell all over the body may select
needed lipids from them.

Chylomicrons a class of lipoproteins that

transport lipids from the intestinal cells to
the rest of the body.

Lipoprotein are clusters of lipids associated

with CHON that serve as transport vehicle for
lipids in the lymph & blood

The body makes 4 main types of lipoprotein:

Chylomicrons
VLDL
LDL
HDL

1.
2.
3.
4.

All 4 types of lipoprotein carry all classes of

lipids (triglycerides, phospholipids &
cholesterol), but:
Chylomicron are the largest & the highest
in triglycerides
VLDL are smaller & about half triglyceride
LDL are smaller still & are high in
cholesterol
HDL are the smallest & are rich in CHON

VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein

The type of lipoprotein made primarily by

the liver cells to transport lipids to various
tissues in the body;

Composed primarily of triglyceride

LDL (low-density lipoprotein)

The type of lipoprotein derived from verylow-density lipoprotein as cells remove

triglycerides from them;

Composed primarily of cholesterol

HDL (high-density lipoprotein)

The type of lipprotein that transports

cholesterol back to the liver from the cells;

Composed primarily of CHON.

Keep in mind that there is only one kind of

cholesterol and that the differences between
LDL & HDL reflect the proportions of
lipids & CHON within them --- not the
type of cholesterol.

ROLES OF TRIGLYCERIDES
Provide an energy reserve when stored in
the bodys fat tissue.
Insulate against temperature extremes.
Protect organs against shock
Help the body use CHO & CHON
efficiently

Linoleic acid (omega-6) &

Linolenic acid (omega-3)
-- are essential nutrients.
In addition to serving as structural parts of
cell membranes, they make eicosanoids a
powerful compound that help regulate
blood pressure, blood clot formation &
immune response to injury & infection.

The body can easily store unlimited amounts of fat

if given excess.
This body fat is used for energy when needed.
The liver can also convert excess CHO & CHON
into fat.
Fat breakdown requires simultaneous CHO
breakdown for maximum efficiency.
Without CHO, fat break down to ketone bodies.