LIPIDS

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
INTRODUCTION:
It is quite known
know lipids, in the form of TRIACYLGLYCEROL (TAG), is
also known as fat. However, what is more common is the
connotation that when fats are mentioned we highly refer it
to as bad. Yes, it can’t be argued that fats contribute to
major diseases such as heart disease. Yet, contrary to what
little that everybody knows, there are a lot of myths surrounding the common understanding. Furthermore,
there are a lot of certain characteristics that majority of the population may did not know about this
biomolecule.
How about you??? What do you know about lipids???.Now, in this module you will discover important
information about lipids. Particularly, this module includes properties of lipids, classifications and
characterization of every groups. Characterization includes their structures, uses and functions. Plus, a short
introduction on some myths about lipids. Hopefully, this will help you better understand what lipids is all about.
Yes, it was thought to be true that fat caused heart disease, but current research doesn’t support
this.This is important because people with diabetes are at a higher risk for heart disease.
So why are people so scared of fat? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended a low-fat diet
for years which changed how and what we ate. The message almost because it was fine to eat a cookie if it
was low fat. Many people still believe fat is bad for different reasons. Here are a few myths about fat:

Fat isn’t need in our diet

Your body needs fat. Fat supplies energy for your body, just like protein and carbohydrates. Fat is part of every
cell in our body, and your brain is about 60% fat. Fats provide essential fatty acids that our bodies can’t make.
Fat has a role in regulating hormones, body temperature, immune function, reproduction, insulin signaling, and
nutrient absorption. Vitamin A, D, E, and K rely on fat for absorption.
Fat raises blood glucose
Fat does not directly raise glucose. Insulin resistance and A1C can be improved when carbohydrate or
saturated fat is replaced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Eating carbs paired with protein
and/or fat can help to reduce the rise in blood sugar.
Fat raises cholesterol
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats don’t raise total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).
They can help to reduce LDL cholesterol and increase HDL (good cholesterol). Trans fats do raise cholesterol
and should be avoided. There is conflicting research on saturated fats and cholesterol. Saturated fat may
increase LDL and HDL cholesterol or have a neutral effect. It is still recommended to limit intake of saturated
fat.
Fat increases body weight
Research shows that people who eat a moderate or high fat diet lose just as much weight or more than people
who eat a low-fat diet. Dietary fat doesn’t automatically convert to body fat. It is true that fat contains more
calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates, but all calories aren’t the same. Excess calories from carbs
and protein are also be converted to fat. Fat slows down digestion and helps you to feel more satisfied after a
meal.
So, WHAT ARE LIPIDS?
Lipids, is an organic compound found in living organisms that is insoluble (or only sparingly soluble) in water
but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. Unlike carbohydrates and most other classes of compounds, lipids do
not have a common structural feature that serves as the basis for defining such compounds. Instead, their
characterization is based on solubility characteristics.

GENERAL FUNCTION OF LIPIDS:

They are efficient energy

sources.
• Body lipids are reservoir of potential
chemical energy. Lipids can be
stored in the body in almost
unlimited amount in contrast to
carbohydrates. Furthermore, lipids
have a high calorific value (calories
per gram) which is twice as great as
carbohydrate. Large amount of
energy is stored as lipid than as
carbohydrates

Serve as thermal
insulators.
•The subcutaneous lipids serve
as insulating materials against
atmospheric heat and cold and
protect internal organs.
•Nonpolar lipids act as electrical
 insulators, allowing rapid
propagation of depolarization
waves along myelinated
nerves.

They are structural

components of the cell
membrane.
• Lipids which form the major
constituent of biomembranes are
responsible for membrane integrity
and regulation of membrane
permeability.
• Lipids present in inner mitochondrial
membrane actively participate in
electron transport chain.
• Combinations of lipid and protein
(lipoproteins) are important cellular
constituents, occurring both in the cell
membrane and in the mitochondria,
and serving also as the means of
transporting lipids in the blood.

Serve as precursors for

hormones (ex. steroid
hormones).

• Lipids serve as
metabolic regulators
of steroid hormones
and prostaglandins.

They also dissolve the

vitamins, which are
fatsoluble and assist their
digestion.
•They serve also as a source
of fat soluble vitamins
(Vitamin A, D, E and K) and
essential fatty acids.
(Linoleic, Linolenic and
Arachidonic acid).
FIVE CATEGORIES OF LIPIDS BASED ON CHEMICAL FUNCTION

MEMBRANE
LIPIDS MESSENGER
ENERGY EMULSIFICATIO PROTECTIVE-
LIPIDS steroid
STORAGE phospholipids, N LIPIDS COATING LIPIDS
hormones and
Triacyglycerol sphingolipids, Bile acids biological waxes
eicosanoids
cholesterol

CATEGORIES BASED ON THE SAPONIFIABILITY (please refer to laboratory discussions)

SAPONIFIABLE NONSAPONIFIABLE

•TAG, phospholipids, •cholesterol, steroid

sphingoglycolipids, & hormones, bile acids,
biological waxes eicosanoids

FATTY ACID AS MONOMER UNIT OF LIPIDS

Fatty acids

 building blocks of lipids

 are naturally occurring monocarboxylic acid.
FATTY ACIDS BASED ON CARBON CHAIN LENGTH
1. long-chain fatty acids (C12 to C26)
2. medium-chain fatty acids (C8 and C10)
3. short-chain fatty acids (C4 and C6)

CLASSIFICATION OF FATTY ACID RESIDUES PRESENT IN TRIACYLGLYCEROL

BASED ON DEGREE OF UNSATURATION

SATURATED FATTY ACIDS

•isMONOUNSATURATED
a fatty acid with a carbon chain
FATTY
in which all carbon–carbon
ACIDS bonds
are single bonds.
•Aka BAD FAT, dietary effect is an
increase
•is a fattyinacid
heart disease
with risk. chain
a carbon
in which one carbon–carbon double
bond is present.
•Aka GOOD FAT, Dietary effect is a
decrease in heart disease risk.
 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY
ACIDS

•fatty acid with a carbon chain in

which two or more carbon–carbon
double bonds are present.
•Dietary effect is “mixed”;
•As GOOD FAT- decrease heart
disease risk
•As BAD FAT – increase cancer risk

BASED ON CONFIGURATION OF DOUBLE BOND (EITHER MONO OR POLYUNSATURATED)

-cis

•contain in naturally occurring fatty

acids associated with good fat.
•groups in the double bond is
located in the same position
causing the FA to stay bend

-trans

•Hydrogenation converts some

cis to trans double bonds.
(opposite position)

•Have effects on blood

chemistry similar to those of
saturated fatty acids.(BAD FAT)

BASED ON LOCATION OF DOUBLE BOND

Omega -3

•First double bond is three

carbons away from the –CH3
ω- 3 – location
end of the carbon chain.
of the 1st
double bond on
•LINOLENIC ACID (18:3) is the 18:3 Δ ₉ , ₁₂ , ₁₅ means:
the 3rd carbon
primary member of this family &
atom near – • 18 – number of carbons
a precursor for EPA & DHA
CH3 end • 3 – number of double bonds
• Δ ₉ , ₁₂ , ₁₅ - location of
double bonds from –COOH
 Omega -3

•First double bond is six

carbons away from the CH3
end of the carbon chain.

•LINOLENIC ACID (18:2) is the

primary member of this family &
a precursor for arachidonic
acid.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

 It is a fatty acid acid needed in the human body that must be obtained from dietary sources because it
cannot be synthesized within the body, in adequate amounts, from other substances.

•prim
•From
•Decr
HDL
•Sour
•Defic
scaly
woun
abno
•the
arach
•Arac
for
regul
other
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF FATTY ACIDS

Water solubility for fatty acids is a direct function of carbon

chain length; solubility decreases as carbon chain length
increases. Short-chain fatty acids have a slight solubility in
water. Long-chain fatty acids are essentially insoluble in
water. The slight solubility of short-chain fatty acids is related to
the polarity of the carboxyl group present. In longer-chain fatty
acids, the nonpolar nature of the hydrocarbon chain completely
dominates solubility considerations.

Melting points for fatty acids are strongly influenced by both

carbon chain length and degree of unsaturation (number of
double bonds present). As carbon chain length increases,
melting point increases. This trend is related to the greater
surface area associated with a longer carbon chain and to the
increased opportunities that this greater surface area affords for
intermolecular attractions between fatty acid molecules.

CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS BASED ON FUNCTION

I. ENERGY STORAGE LIPIDS:
TRIACYLGLYCEROL (TAG) OR TRIACYLGLYCERIDE

 Most abundant type of lipids present in the body and are the main storage form of fatty acids, and they
account for greater than 90% of dietary fat intake
 More efficient at storing energy than glycogen, large quantities can be packed in very small volume.
 Rather than being widespread, TAGs are concentrated in adipocytes found under the skin, in the
abdominal cavity, in mammary gland, etc.
 Lipid formed through esterification (ester linkage) of 3 fatty acid with glycerol
 FAT – substitute term

2 TYPES OF TRIACYLGLYCEROL
1. SIMPLE TRIACYLGLYCEROL – is a triester
formed from the esterification of glycerol with
three identical fatty acid molecules.

2. MIXED TRIACYGLYCEROL – is a
trimester formed from the
esterification of glycerol with more
than one kind of fatty acid
molecules.

NATURALLY OCCURING MIXTURES OF

TRIACYLGLYCEROL Triple esterification reaction between glycerol and
 FAT, is a triacylglycerol mixture that three molecules of fatty acid (ex. stearic acid)
is a solid or a semi-solid at room
temperature (25°C). Generally, fats are obtained
from animal sources.

 OIL, is a triacylglycerol mixture that is a liquid at

room temperature (25°C).

FAT OIL
 OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FATS and OILS

FEATURES FATS OILS/ FIXED OILS

PHYSICAL STATE Solid or semisolid at room temp Liquid at room temp
SOURCE Obtained from animal sources Obtained from plants
PREDOMINANT Saturated compounds Mono and polyunsaturated
FATTY ACIDS predominates compounds predominates
STRUCTURE “Linearity” of fatty acids causing “Bends” chain causing the molecule
the molecule to be closely incapable of close packing
packed
MELTING POINT Higher Lower
TERMINOLOGIES FOR FAT SUBSTITUTE
Terms DEFINITIONS
Fat free means less than 0.5g of fat per serving
Low fat means 3g or less fat per 50g serving
Reduce fat or means at least 25% less fat per serving than the regular food
less fat
Calorie free means less than 0.5 kilo calories per serving

PERCENTAGES OF SATURATED, MONOUNSATURATED AND POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN

THE TAGs OF VARIOUS FATS AND OILS

II. MEMBRANE LIPIDS:

 CHOLESTEROL

1. PHOSPHOLIPIDS
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 is a lipid that contains one or more fatty acids, a phosphate group, a platform molecule to which the
fatty acid(s) and the phosphate group are attached, and an alcohol that is attached to the phosphate

group.

Example Alcohol:
 Serine
 Ethanolamine
 Choline Example:
 Inositol  Choline
 Glycerol

A. Glycerophospholipids or
Glycerophosphatides (Lippincott, 7th ed.)

 It is a lipid that contains two fatty acids and a phosphate group esterified to a glycerol molecule and an
alcohol esterified to the phosphate group.
GLYCEROPHOSPHATIDES (Phosphatidic acid + alcohol):