CLASSIFICATION

OF FATS AND ITS

FUNCTION

SUBMITTED BY:
THINA C. TORRES
BSN III

SUBMITTED TO:
MS. KAREEN T. SISON,R.N
CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR

FATS/LIPIDS
Fats, or lipids, are the third main class of the macronutrients needed in human nutrition. The
lipids are found primarily in meats and dairy foods, at least, these are the most visible sources,
but most foods contain some fat. Some of the richer vegetable sources of dietary fat are nuts
and seeds, soybeans, olives, peanuts, and avocados, and these contain the needed or
essential fatty acids (EFAs). Fats are an important component of our diet, and at least a
minimum intake is essential. However, many problems are associated with excessive intake of
dietary fat, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer.
Primarily a form of energy reserves and insulation in the body, fats can be burned to make
energy when we need energy and are not getting enough from our diet. Fats are important in
transporting other nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E, and Kthe fat-soluble vitamins. Fats
are also an essential component of the cell membrane, and internal fatty tissues protect the vital
organs from trauma and temperature change by providing padding and insulation. Fatty tissue,
in fact, even helps regulate body temperature.
An important component of lipids is the fatty acids. Three essential fatty acids are needed
biochemically by our bodies and are available to us only from our diet: linoleic acid (LA),
arachidonic acid, and linolenic acid (LNA). All are commonly contained in plant oils. Some
sources describe linoleic acid as the only true essential fatty acid, as the others may be made
from it. With more recent research it appears that this is true in plants but not in humans. We
can make arachidonic acid from linoleic acid but not the important linolenic acid. Actually
humans need higher amounts of alpha-linolenic acid than the other fatty acids, and luckily, these
three fatty acids are commonly found together in food sources anyway. Most of our dietary
intake of fat is in the form of triglycerides, which are composed of three fatty acids and a
glycerol molecule. A less prevalent form of dietary fat is the phospholipids, such as lecithin,
which is important to cell membranes and the brain and nerves. Cholesterol, a member of the
sterol family, is both found in foods and manufactured by the body. It is essential to many body
functions but has been implicated as a primary factor in heart and blood vessel disease.
Levels of fat intake are highly correlated with weight. High consumption of dietary fat is
associated with both increased body fat and obesity. Fats are the most concentrated source of
food energy, supplying nine calories per gram, more than double the calorie content of the
proteins and carbohydrates. They provide about 42 percent of the calories in the average
American diet. A diet that derives closer to 2025 percent of total calories from fat is probably
healthier. A range of 1020 percent is also acceptable and may be helpful in reducing the
incidence and progression of cardiovascular disease by lowering blood levels of triglycerides
and cholesterol. Reducing fat intake to this level means cutting down greatly on consumption of
red meats and dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter. Restricting dietary fat (which
usually reduces calorie intake as well) while maintaining adequate protein and complex
carbohydrate intake is probably the best long-range approach to weight loss, maintenance of
optimal body weight, and general good health.

Functions
Lipids perform many life-supporting functions in each cell of our body. They are part of every cell
membrane and every organ and tissue. The fatty acids keep our cells strong to protect against
invasion by microorganisms or damage by chemicals. Fats are very important to our nervous
system and in the manufacture of the steroid and sex hormones and the important hormonelike
prostaglandins. Cholesterol is responsible for some of these functions that support the health of
the brain, nervous system, liver, blood, and skin.
Beside the fact that fats add a lot of the flavor to the foods that many of us are used to and
savor, such as buttery treats, gravies, and juicy meats, fats serve three primary functions in the
body. They are first and foremost a ready energy source, contributing nine calories for every
gram of fat used, more than 4,000 calories per pound of fat.
Thats a lot of potential energy we are carrying, both from dietary intake of those fatty foods and
in the stored fat of our body. This stored fat helps give the body its curves and can be used for
fuel during times of reduced food intake.
Fats in the body also act as a protective blanket shielding the organs from trauma and cold. The
fat deposits surround and hold in place important organs such as the heart and kidneys. Fat
below the skin helps prevent heat loss and protects against external temperature changes.
Third, as I have already said, the lipids are an integral part of the cell membranes. Every body
cell and thus every tissue and organ is dependent on lipids in the body for its health. Also, fats
are needed for absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, and by assisting in vitamin D absorption,
they help calcium get into the body, especially to the bones and teeth.
CLASSIFICATION
Triglycerides and Fatty Acids
Triglycerides comprise about 95 percent of the lipids in food and in our bodies. They are the
storage form of fat when we eat calories in excess of our energy needs. Burning up the stored
fat allows us to live without food for periods of time, as I have done during my many fasts.
All triglycerides have a similar structure, being composed of three fatty acids attached to a
glycerol molecule. Glycerol is a short-chained carbohydrate molecule that is soluble in water,
and when triglycerides are metabolized, the glycerol can be converted to glucose. Fatty acids
may differ in their length and their degree of saturation. They are commonly composed of a
series of 1618 carbon molecules attached to hydrogen molecules. The number of hydrogen
molecules is what determines the saturation of the fat. When each carbon has its maximum
number of hydrogens attached, the fat is said to be saturatedthat is, filled to capacity with
hydrogen.
Phospholipids
Phospholipids, of which the most common is lecithin, are important in the structure of all
membranes. Their structure is similar to that of triglycerides, but they contain only two fatty
acids (both polyunsaturated). The third molecule attached to the glycerol is a

phosphatidylcholine molecule (choline is one of the B vitamins). Certain phospholipids also

contain
inositol
(another
B
vitamin)
as
phosphatidylinositol,
as
well
as
phosphatidylethanolamine, another phospholipid that has several functions, such as being a
precursor to choline and acetylcholine. Lecithin is found in highest concentration in soybeans
and egg yolks. Recently, egg lecithin has been used in the treatment of acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS). There is some question as to whether supplemental lecithin helps
to lower cholesterol levels. It seems to have a mild influence, perhaps due to its polyunsaturated
nature. Because of their carbohydrate-fat construction, phospholipids move well in fats as well
as in water and thus move easily
Sphingolipids are a complicated family of compounds that share a common structural feature,
a sphingoid base backbone that is synthesized de novo from the amino acid serineand a longchain fatty acyl CoA, then converted into ceramides, phosphosphingolipids, glycosphingolipids
and other compounds. The major sphingoid base of mammals is commonly referred to
as sphingosine. Ceramides (N-acyl-sphingoid bases) are a major subclass of sphingoid base
derivatives with an amide-linked fatty acid. The fatty acids are typically saturated or monounsaturated with chain lengths from 16 to 26 carbon atoms.
The major phosphosphingolipids of mammals are sphingomyelins (ceramide phosphocholines),
whereas insects contain mainly ceramide phosphoethanolamines and fungi have phytoceramide
phosphoinositols and mannose-containing headgroups. The glycosphingolipids are a diverse
family of molecules composed of one or more sugar residues linked via a glycosidic bond to the
sphingoid base. Examples of these are the simple and complex glycosphingolipids such
as cerebrosides and gangliosides.
Glycolipids are lipids with a carbohydrate attached. Their role is to provide energy and also
serve as markers forcellular recognition. The carbohydrates are found on the outer surface of
all eukaryotic cell membranes. They extend from the phospholipid bilayer into the aqueous
environment outside the cell where it acts as a recognition site for specific chemicals as well as
helping to maintain the stability of the membrane and attaching cells to one another to
form tissues.
Waxes are esters of fatty acids with long chain monohydric alcohols (one hydroxyl group).
Natural waxes are often mixtures of such esters, and may also contain hydrocarbons. The
formulas for three well known waxes are given below, with the carboxylic acid moiety colored
red and the alcohol colored blue.
Waxes are widely distributed in nature. The leaves and fruits of many plants have waxy
coatings, which may protect them from dehydration and small predators. The feathers of birds

and the fur of some animals have similar coatings which serve as a water repellent. Carnuba
wax is valued for its toughness and water resistance.
Sterols/Cholesterol
Sterols, the third primary lipid, include cholesterol, phytosterols (plant sterols), and some of the
steroid hormones. Cholesterol, the best known of the sterols, is the precursor of the bile acids
and the sex hormones. Manufactured in the body, primarily in the liver, although all tissues of
the body except the brain can make it, cholesterol is present in almost all cells and is particularly
high in the liver, brain and nervous tissue, and the blood. Cholesterol, like lecithin, is also
available in foods, such as egg yolk, meats, and other animal fats, including milk products. It is
not readily available in most vegetable foods.
Cholesterol has been implicated in occlusive cardiovascular disease, causing plaque and
obstruction of the arteries. The cholesterol in foods, however, is not really the villain. It is the
oxidized cholesterol in the blood that causes the trouble, and the level of this is more a function
of total dietary fat intake and genetically determined aspects of cholesterol metabolism, than of
the amount of cholesterol in our food. In particular, a transport mechanism of cholesterol called
the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is likely the villain in our societys rampant disease
atherosclerosis. This LDL is contrasted to the so-called good cholesterol-carrying high-density
lipoprotein (HDL). The ratio of these two (LDL:HDL) is the blood test currently favored to
evaluate our risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lipoproteins, the fat-protein combination molecules circulating in our blood and tissues, can
move around the body only if they are surrounded by protein, because fats are not soluble in
water (the basic makeup of blood and lymph). The fatty acids in these large lipoprotein
molecules are positioned at the inside, as far away from the water as possible. The higher the
protein portion in these molecules, the higher their density.

WHICH IS HEALTHIER? SATURATED OR UNSATURATED FATS?

unsaturated fat and saturated fat are in a variety of foods, studies have found that these fats are
not created equally. Unsaturated fats can be beneficial to your heart, whereas saturated
fats could be detrimental to your cholesterol and your heart.
Saturated fats are found in animal products and processed foods, such as meats, dairy
products, chips, and pastries. The chemical structure of a saturated fat is fully saturated with
hydrogen atoms, and does not contain double bonds between carbon atoms. Saturated fats are
not heart healthy, since they are most known for raising your LDLcholesterol (bad cholesterol).