Lipids

GHINA ASSAF CHEDID, MSC.

F U N D A M E N TA L S O F H U M A N
NUTRITION
 Guiding questions
 What are lipids?
 Where do you find them in foods?
 What is fat’s role in the body?
 What is a triglyceride?
 What is a fatty acid?
 What is saturation? Hydrogenation?
 How many essential fatty acids?
 Are some fats healthier than others?
 What do you know about cholesterol?
 Which health condition is associated with
improper fat intake? Why?
 Definition of lipids

Family of compounds soluble in organic

solvents (ether, benzene…) but NOT in
water

Lipids include:
• triglycerides 95% (fats and oils)
• phospholipids (e.g. lecithin)
• sterols (e.g. cholesterol)
 Role of lipids
• Body’s chief storage form for excess energy consumed

• Fat surrounding the internal organs serves as shock

absorber
• Fat blanket under the skin (adipose tissue) serves as an
insulating layer: role in internal climate control
• Part of all cell membranes

• Vitamin A, D, E, and K are only soluble and found in fat-

rich foods
• Give taste and sensory appeal of foods

• Slow digestion and provide satiety

Lipids are stored in specialized cells called fat/adipose cells that
have the ability to enlarge almost indefinitely
 WHAT ARE TRIGLYCERIDES
• Triglycerides are the main form of fat in the body.

• The fat we eat exists in relatively huge molecules inside food.

Triglycerides are the end product of digesting and breaking down these
bulky fats.

• Any extra food we eat that's not used for activity right away-
carbohydrates, fat, or protein - is also chemically converted into
triglycerides.

• Triglycerides are then bundled together into globules. These are

transported through the blood

• The triglycerides are taken up by adipose (fat) cells, to be used for energy
if food isn't available later.
 Triglycerides (Fats & Oils)

 TG = 1 Glycerol molecule + 3 Fatty Acids

Animal origin Plant origin

 Most TG contain a mixture of more than 1 type of

fatty acids.
Triglyceride (TG) = 1 Glycerol molecule+ 3 Fatty Acids
Diglycerides: 1 Glycerol + 2 F.A.
Monoglycerides: 1 Glycerol + 1 F.A.
 Fatty acids (FA)

• Fatty acids are organic acids that comprise of 2

parts.

Acid group (COOH) Hydrocarbon chain (R)

• Very few are found as such in the body or in

foods. Usually, they are part of TG molecules.
• Fatty acids have an even # of carbon atoms.
 Fatty acids

Fatty acids may be

• saturated (SFA)
• unsaturated = presence of double bond: mono (MUFA),
poly (PUFA)

Fatty acids vary in

(1) the length of their hydrocarbon chain
(2) their degree of unsaturation
(3) the location of their double bond
 Firmness and stability of fats

 Fatty acid chain length and saturation affects TG’s

physical characteristics (solid vs. liquid) and
storage properties (stability and shelf life)

Animal fats (ex: butter)

Vegetable and fish oils • more saturated
 polyunsaturated (PUFA) • Solid at room
 Liquid at room temperature temperature
 Not very stable (become rancid) • Stable

Oxidation process: double bonds are unstable and react with atmospheric
oxygen
 Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation: Chemical process by which hydrogens are

added to fatty acids double bonds: the fat becomes more
saturated, more solid and also more stable (can last longer
before becoming rancid)
Hydrogenation: pros and cons

• Advantages:

- Makes the oil more stable and resistant to

oxidation, hence a longer shelf life
- Alters the texture of foods (spreadable: margarine)

• Disadvantages:

- Makes polyunsaturated fats more saturated,

consequently less healthy
- Produces trans fatty acids that are unhealthy
LDL HDL
 Trans fatty-acids

Usually fatty acids occur in nature in cis configuration except for

milk and butter. However, trans fats are loved by processed food
creators because they can let a food product sit on the shelves
for months (or years) without going bad.
 Essential FATs

Linoleic acid (ω-6) & Linolenic acid (ω-3) cannot be

synthesized in the body: need to be supplied from the
diet.

- Structural parts of cell membranes

- Major part of the lipids of the brain & nerves

- Essential to normal growth in infants/children

- Transformed into hormone-like substances important

for vital body functions: blood pressure, blood clot
formation, the immune & inflammation responses, etc…
 Essential FATs
TWO essential polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic acid (ω-6) &
Linolenic acid (ω-3)
 Health benefits of (ω-3) fatty acids

- Lower blood cholesterol and thus heart

attack & stroke

- Prevent blood clot formation

- May lower blood pressure

- Make up a large portion of the brain and

thus may lower incidence of depression
Sources of (ω-3) fatty acids

Recommendation: eat 2 to 3 fish meals/ week

 Phospholipids

 Important constituents of cell membranes

 Lecithin: best-known phospholipid

 Phospholipids are naturally occurring in egg-

yolks, liver, soybeans and peanuts.

 1 glycerol + 2 Fatty Acids + Phosphate group

Hydrophobic end Hydrophilic end

 Phospholipids
• Play a role in keeping fats dispersed in water:
Emulsifier
• Used in the making of mayonnaise and candy
bars.
 Sterols
 Compounds with a multiple-ring structure:

1. Cholesterol
2. Sex hormones (testosterone & estrogen)
3. Bile (emulsifier important for fat digestion)
4. Vitamin D

 Cholesterol is the starting material for the

synthesis of all the above compounds. It is also a
structural component of brain and nerve cells.
 Cholesterol

 Synthesized in the liver of humans (endogenous)

and obtained from animal products in the diet
(exogenous).
 Our body makes enough cholesterol: no need to
get extra cholesterol through the diet.
 Liver makes ~ 800 to 1500 mg cholesterol/day,
thus contributing much more to the body’s total
cholesterol than does the diet (~ 300 mg/day)
 Total blood cholesterol should be less than 200
mg/dl.
 Which foods are rich in cholesterol?

Cholesterol-rich foods are eggs , shellfish, red meats, liver, and

dairy products (Egg yolk contains ~ 300 mg of cholesterol. The
American Heart Association however approves an intake of up to
4 eggs a week!)
 Cholesterol transport

Cholesterol in the blood is transported in two forms:

1. LDL: transports cholesterol from the liver to tissues = Bad

cholesterol linked to heart disease

2. HDL: transports cholesterol from tissues back to the liver

(returns cholesterol to the liver)
= Good cholesterol has a protective effect
 Factors that increase LDL
Factors that increase HDL Smoking
Exercise Obesity
Estrogen Sedentary life style
Weight loss (if obese) Boiled coffee (Turkish)
Moderate alcohol intake Saturated fat intake
Trans fat intake.
HDL goal >60 mg/dl
LDL goal< 80 mg/dl
 Cardiovascular Disease

• #1 killer of adults in the USA.

• Blood cholesterol concentration is one of the 3

major risk factors for CVD, along with smoking
and hypertension.

• NOTE: Food cholesterol does NOT raise blood

cholesterol as dramatically as saturated fat does!
 Atherosclerosis
Cholesterol’s harmful effects on the body occur when it forms deposits in the
artery walls atherosclerosis. This causes Strokes and Heart attacks
TG are absorbed with up to 98% efficiency.;little fat is excreted by a healthy system.
 Fat digestion and absorption
 Mouth
Lingual lipase: important in milk fat digestion in infants, little importance
in adults.

 Stomach
Little fat digestion takes place in the stomach

 Small intestine
Bile (made by the liver and stored in the gall bladder) mixes the fat particles
with the watery medium by emulsification allowing pancreatic lipase to act
on splitting the TG molecules.

After digestion, fats are reassembled as TG molecules (water insoluble) that

get transported in the blood (water soluble) as part of lipoproteins.
 Body needs for fat
Total fat intake should contribute no more than 30% of daily
total calories, divided equally between SFA, MUFA and PUFA
(10% each).
 Dietary cholesterol recommendation is ~ 300 mg/day from the
diet (exogenous).

NOTE: excess fat consumption can lead to obesity, CVD, and

certain types of cancers.
 Where is fat found in the diet?

•Visible fat: butter, oil, mayo, fat trimmed from meat.

 
•Invisible/hidden fat: milk, cheese, pastries, fried food, fat in the
marbling of meat.
 Where do we find the different Fats?

•SFA
Found mainly in animal products: beef, chicken, pork and dairy.

•MUFA
Oleic acid is the most common. Found mainly in olive oil,
canola oil, olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts and walnuts. 

•PUFA
Found in vegetable seeds and fish.
 FRYING

• Deep-frying can add a lot of fat to a food (because it

absorbs a great amount of fat).

• Alternative? Most cooking sprays have fewer calories

per serving than an application of vegetable oil,
because they are applied in a much thinner layer.

• Heating an oil changes its characteristics. Oils that

are healthy at room temperature can become
unhealthy when heated above certain temperatures
(Be careful about olive oil: low smoking point).

• Prolonged consumption of burnt oils can lead to

atherosclerosis, inflammatory joint disease, and
development of birth defects.
What type of fat?
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