V.

LIPIDS OR FATS
● Fats belong to a group of organic compounds called lipids
● Greasy substances that are insoluble in water
● Each gram of fat contain 9 kcal
● Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; lower proportion of oxygen
than carbohydrates

FUNCTIONS
● Provide energy
● Carry fat-soluble vitamins
● Supply essential fatty acids
● Protect and support organs and bones
● Insulate from cold
● Provide satiety to meals

FOOD SOURCES
● ANIMAL:
- Fatty meals
- Lard
- Butter
- Cheese
- Cream; whole milk
- Egg yolk
● PLANT
- Vegetable oils
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Avocados
 - Olives
- Margarine

VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE FATS

● VISIBLE FATS
- Fats in foods that are purchased and used as fts, such as butter or
margarine, lard, cooking oils
● INVISIBLE FATS
- Fats that are not immediately noticeable such as those in egg
yolk, cheese, cream and salad dressings

CLASSIFICATION
● TRIGLYCERIDES
- Most lipids in the body (95%) are triglycerides
- Composed of three fatty acids attached to a framework of
glycerol.
● PHOSPHOLIPIDS
● STEROLS

FATTY ACID
● Fatty acids are organic compounds of carbon atoms to which hydrogen
atoms are attached.
● They may be classified in two ways.

FATTY ACID CLASSIFICATION

● May be classified by the body’s need for them
- Essential
- Nonessential
● May be classified by degree of saturation with hydrogen atoms
 - Saturated
- Unsaturated

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

● Cannot be synthesized by the body
● Must be obtained from the diet

NON-ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

● Can be synthesized by the body
● Arachidonic fatty acid, previously thought to be essential, can be
synthesized in the body from linoleic fatty acid

SATURATED FATS
● Each of its carbon atoms carries al the hydrogen atoms possible
● In general, animal foods contain more saturated fatty acids than
unsaturated
● Usually solid at room temperature
● Examples: Meat, poultry, egg yolks, whole milk, whole milk cheeses,
cream, ice cream, butter, chocolate, coconut, palm oil

MONOUNSATURATED FATS
● Fewer hydrogen atoms attached to one place among the carbon atoms of
its fatty acids than saturated fat
● Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad cholesterol”)
● Examples: Olive oil, canola oil, avocados, cashew nuts
● Recommended: 15% of total daily kcal

POLYUNSATURATED FATS
 ● Fewer hydrogen atoms attached to two or more places among the carbon
atoms of its fatty acids than saturated fats
● Examples: Cooking oils made from sunflower, safflower, sesame seeds or
from corn or soybeans, soft margarines whose major ingredient is liquid
vegetable oil, and fish
● Foods containing high proportions of polyunsaturated fats are usually soft
or oily
● Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish) lower the risk of heart disease
● Omega-6 (linoleic acid) has a cholesterol-lowering effect

HYDROGENATED FATS
● Polyunsaturated vegetable oils to which hydrogen has been added
commercially to make them solid at room temperature
● This process, called hydrogenation, turns polyunsaturated vegetable oils
into saturated fats.

TRANS-FATTY ACIDS (TFAs)

● Produced when hydrogen atoms are added to monounsaturated or
polyunsaturated fats to produce a semi-solid product like margarine and
shortening
● TFAs raise low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and total cholesterol
● Major source: Baked goods and restaurant foods

PHOSPHOLIPIDS
● Found in both plant and animal foods, and is synthesized in the liver
● Natural emulsifier that helps transport fat in the bloodstream
● Example: Lecithin
CHOLESTEROL
● Cholesterol is a sterol
● Fatlike substance
● Exists in animal foods and body cells
● Does not exist in plant foods
● Essential for the synthesis of bile, sex hormones, cortison, and Vitamin D
● Needed by every cell in the body

DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION

● 95% of ingested fats are digested
● Complex process
● Chemical digestion of fats occurs mainly in the small intestine
● No digestion of fats occurs in the mouth
● Slight digestion in the stomach where gastric lipase acts on emulsified
fats such as those found in cream and egg yolk.
● DIGESTION IN THE SMALL INTESTINE
- Bile emulsifies the fats
- The enzyme pancreatic lipase reduce the fats to fatty acids and
glycerol
- The body subsequently absorbs through the villi of the small
intestine

LIPOPROTEINS
● In the initial stages of fat absorption, bile joins with the products of fat
digestion to carry fat
● Later, protein combines with the final products of fat digestion to form
special carriers called lipoproteins
● Classified according to mobility and density
 ● TYPES:
- Chylomicrons
- Very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs)
● CHYLOMICRON
- First lipoprotein identified after eating
- Largest lipoprotein
- Lightest in weight
- Composed of 80-90% triglycerides
● VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEINS (VLDLs)
- Made by the liver to transport lipids throughout the body
- Composed of 55-65% triglycerides
- Carry triglycerides and other lipids to all cells
- As the VLDLs lose triglycerides, they pick up cholesterol from
the other lipoproteins in the blood and then they become LDL

LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEINS (LDLs)

● Composed of 45% cholesterol with few triglycerides
● Carry most of the blood cholesterol from the liver to the cells
● Elevated blood levels greater than 130 mg/dl of LDL are thought to be
contributing factors in atherosclerosis

HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEINS
● Carry cholesterol from the cells to the liver for eventual excretion
● Level of HDL greater than 35 mg/dl are thought to reduce the risk of
heart disease
● Exercise, maintaining desirable weight, and giving up smoking are all
ways to increase one’s HDL
● “Good cholesterol”
METABOLISM AND ELIMINATION
● The liver controls fat metabolism
● The metabolism of fats occurs in the cells
● Fatty acids are broken down to carbon dioxide and water, releasing
energy
● Portion of fat not needed for immediate use stored as adipose tissue
● Carbon dioxide and water are waste products removed from the body by
the circulatory, respiratory, and excretory systems

FAT ALTERNATIVES
● OLESTRA: Made from carbohydrates and fat
- FDA approved for use in snack food
- Government requires that food labels indicate olestra “inhibits
absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients”
- Contains no calories; can cause cramps and diarrhea
● SIMPLESSE: Made from egg white or milk protein
● OATRIM: Carbohydrate-based; derived from oat fiber

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
● The Food and Nutrition Board’s Committee on Diet and Health
recommends that people reduce their fat intake to 30% of total kcal
● The American Heart Association’s newest recommendation is to consume
</=7% of saturated fats, 8-10% polyunsaturated fats and 15%
monounsaturated fats.
● AT present, 36% of kcal in the U.S. diets is derived from fats
CONCLUSION
● Fats provide energy, carry essential fatty acid and fat-soluble vitamins,
protect organs and bones, insulate from cold, and provide satiety to meals.
● Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and are found in both animal
and plant foods.
● Each gram of fats provides 9 kcal
● Digestion occurs primarily in small intestine
● An excess of fat in the diet can result in obesity and possible heart disease
or cancer