Nutrition Chapter 5

Lipids

A diverse group of organic substances that are insoluble in water; include triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols.

Triglyceride

A molecule consisting of three fatty acids attached to a three-carbon glycerol backbone.

Fatty Acids

Long chains of carbon atoms bound to each other as well as to hydrogen atoms.

Glycerol

An alcohol composed of three carbon atoms; it is the backbone of a triglyceride molecule.

Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs)

Fatty acids that have no carbons joined together with a double bond; these types of fatty acids are generally solid at room temperature.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)

Fatty acids that have two carbons in the chain bound to each other with one double bond; these types of fatty acids are generally liquid at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

Fatty acids that have more than one double bond in the chain; these types of fatty acids are generally liquid at room temperature.

Hydrogenation

The process of adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids, making them more saturated and thereby more solid at room temperature.

Essential Fatty Acids

Fatty acids that must be consumed in the diet because they cannot be made by the body. Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid.

Linoleic Acid

An essential fatty acid found in vegetables and nut oils; also known as omega-6 fatty acid.

Alpha-linolenic Acid

An essential fatty acid found in leafy green vegetables, flaxseed oil, soy oil, fish oil, and fish products; an omega-3 fatty acid.

Phospholipids

A type of lipid in which a fatty acid is combined with another compound that contains phosphate; unlike other lipids, phospholipids are soluble in water.

Sterols

A type of liquid found in foods and the body that has a ring structure; cholesterol is the most common one that occurs in our diets.

Lipoprotein

A spherical compound in which fat clusters in the center and phospholipids and proteins form the outside of the sphere.

Chylomicron

A lipoprotein produced in the mucosal cell of the intestine; transports dietary fat out of the intestinal tract.

Lipoprotein Lipase

An enzyme that sits on the outside of cells and breaks apart triglycerides so that their fatty acids can be removed and taken up by the cell.

Visible Fats

Fat we can see in our foods or see added to foods, such as in butter, margarine, cream, shortening, salad dressings, chicken skin, and untrimmed fat on meat.

Invisible Fats

Fats that are hidden in foods, such as the fats found in baked goods, regular-fat dairy products, marbling in meat, and fried foods.

Cardiovascular Disease

A general term that refers to abnormal conditions involving dysfunction of the heart and blood vessels; it can result in heart attack or stroke.

Very-Vow-Density Lipoprotein (VLDLs)

A lipoprotein made in the liver and intestine that functions to transport endogenous lipids, especially triglycerides, to the tissues of the body.

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

A lipoprotein formed in the blood form VLDLs that transports cholesterol to the cells of the body. Often called the "bad cholesterol.

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

A lipoprotein made in the liver and released into the blood. Function to transport cholesterol from the tissues back to the liver. Often called the "good cholesterol.