What are Fats?
Fats are probably the most complex of the macromolecules in foods because there are so many different types of fats. Unfortunately, fats have been given a bad reputation, in part because fat is the way we store excess calories, and in part because saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, and cholesterol have been asociated with health conditions like cardiovascular disease and obesity. The facts are, however, that not only are all fats not bad, but some fats have been shown to be health-promoting, and some fats are absolutely essential for your health. So, when you think about fats, the quality of the fat, and therefore the quality of the food from which you are getting the fat, really matters. Fats, which are also referred to as lipids, are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen like the other macromolecules, but fats are designed in a structure that makes them insoluble in water. We call this hydrophobic (hydro=water; phobic=hating). Fats are chemically described as either unsaturated, m
Fats: As we know them in foods and our body upholstery, fats are a storage form of fatty acids. Known technically as triglycerides, fats contain 3 fatty acids and it is the differences among fatty acids that make one kind of fat different from another. For instance, olive oil contains mainly oleic acid, while corn oil is predominantly linoleic acid. Fish, vegetable and most food oils have many different fatty acids. Fatty Acids: Not to be confused with fats, fatty acids are chains of carbons with hydrogens attached to them and an acid group at one end of the molecule. Individual fatty acids serve different purposes in the bodysome are burned or oxidized for energy, some are structural features of cell membranes, others are converted to different fatty acids or substances, such as sterols, while still others perform special duties in tissues, such as nerve cells. Triglycerides (triacylglycerols) are named for their structure of 3 fatty acids attached to a 3-carbon glycerol backbone (Fig
