Fats and lipids in your diet

Fats and lipids are necessary for a couple of reasons - they are high concentrations of energy, contain fatty acids and acts as carrier of fat soluble vitamins.

On the whole, the modern diet may contain too much fat, since fat is contained in so many hidden items in our diet.

In nutrition, all fats, oils and fat-like substances are classified as lipids and are all insoluble in water and are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

If a lipid is fluid at room temperature we normally refer to it as oil, while if it is solid we normally refer to it as fat - but both are mixtures of triglycerides.

Triglycerides are esters of glycerol containing three fatty acids - normally two or three different ones. When hydrolysis is achieved by heat or the enzymes lipase, glycerol, fatty acids, diglycerides and monoglycerides are yielded.

Glycerol

• is an alcohol which contains three carbon atoms and three hydroxyl groups, which can combine with fatty acids to form mono, di or triglycerides.

Fatty acids

• can be classified as saturated or unsaturated - depending on the presence or absence of double bonds. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to lower cholesterol blood levels in certain circumstances while saturated fatty acids tend to raise them.

Oils from vegetable sources are mostly polyunsaturated except for coconut oil, which is nearly 90% saturated. Saturated oils, mostly from animal sources are also mostly solid at room temperature and require greater temperatures to reach melting point.

Di-glycerides and mono-glycerides

• are esters of glycerol containing either two (di) or one (mono) fatty acids and are formed during the digestion of triglycerides.

Phospholipids are compounds found in cell membranes and are essential for certain enzyme actions, the transport of lipids in plasma and an energy source. One of the most abundant types are lecithin which also contains choline - useful in preventing the accumulation of fat in the liver.

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Other interesting points

• Carbohydrates

  • Simple Sugars

    • Monosaccharides

      • Glucose

      • Fructose

      • Galactose

    • Sugar Alcohol

    • Alcohol & ethanol

    • Disaccharides

      • Sucrose

      • Maltose

      • Lactose

    • Trisaccharides

  • Disaccharides

    • Sucrose

    • Maltose

    • Lactose

  • Trisaccharides

  • Complex Carbohydrates

    • Dextrin

    • Starch

      • Modified starch

    • Cellulose

    • Methylcellulose

    • Glycogen

    • Polysaccharides

      • Pectin

• Proteins

• Fats and Lipids

• Fiber

• Energy

• Water

• Calories

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Nutritional information

Here are some information page on which you can read more about a specific nutrient and the role it plays in our general well-being. Please note - We do not use or sell all of these compounds but include the information for the benefit of our clients and visitors. To visit our selection of vitamin products please click here.