12 - Lipid Metabolism & ketones Flashcards
what does increased fat intake without appropriate energy expenditure lead to?
- increase in numbers of adipocytes
- more fat in adipocytes
= obesity
what does control of energy balance in body depend on?
- genetically linked factors e.g. protein messengers regulating appetite
- environmental factors e.g. food abundance, fashionable foods
what is fat required for?
- energy source = more energy than carbs & proteins
- for some essential fatty acids (that you can’t make in body)
- for fat soluble vitamins (to absorb vitamins, fat absorbed at same time)
what can occur if fat intake or absorption is inadequate?
secondary deficiencies
what are fat soluble vitamins?
vitamins A,D,E,K
= absorption of these vitamins is closely linked to that of fat (vitamins absorbed same time as fat)
- lipids required to carry vitamins around the body
what are lipids made of?
- predominantly hydrocarbon
- usually contain long chain fatty acids
- insoluble in water = important for their biological function
what are essential fatty acids?
- some polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be made by the body
- deficiencies can lead to membrane disorders, increased skin permeability, mitochondrial damage
what are different types of lipids?
lipids are collection of different compounds like:
- simple lipids (fatty acids, triglycerides, waxes)
- compound lipids (phospho-, glyco-lipids, lipoprotein)
- steroids (cholesterol, steroid hormones)
what is structure of triglyceride?
glycerol with 3 fatty acid tails
= hydrophobic
- compact & don’t require concomitant storage of water
what are the main natural fatty acids?
- palmitic acid
- stearic acid
- oleic acid (has kink so makes space in cell membrane allowing other molecules to be there = fluidity)
what is structure of fatty acid chains?
- Mainly straight chains
- Aliphatic (no rings)
- Usually contain an even number of C atoms (2 - 20 or more)
- Branched chains and odd numbers of C are rare
- Can be
- saturated (no double bonds)
- unsaturated (one double bond)
- polyunsaturated (several double bonds)
- Double bonds usually in cis configuration
what is saturated, unsaturated and polysaturated?
- saturated (no double bonds)
- unsaturated (one double bond)
- polyunsaturated (several double bonds)
what is example of polyunsaturated fatty acid?
linoleic acid (can’t be synthesised by body)
what is fatty acid nomenclature?
count the carbons starting at ester group, COO- = carbon 1 and the count all the way to omega carbon
what does omega 3 fatty acid look like?
omega (ω) 3 fatty acid – double bond 3 carbons in from ω carbon terminus
what is relationship between temp and solid/liquid?
Fatty acids with up to 8 C atoms are liquid at room temperature, longer ones are solid
- Double bonds lower melting point (longer = less double bonds = higher)
what type of acids are mainly in plant and animal fats?
- Plant fats contain large proportions of unsaturated fatty acids 🡪 liquid
- Animal fats contain mostly palmitic and stearic acid 🡪 solid
what are main products of fat digestion?
- glycerol
- readily absorbed in intestinal epithelial cells
- fatty acids
- monoglycerides
how are different acid types absorbed into mucosal cells of intestine?
- short and medium-length fatty acids enter portal blood
- longer chain fatty acids and monoglycerides are re-synthesised to triglycerides
where are chylomicrons and why are they there?
large lipoprotein particles that transport dietary lipids, primarily triglycerides, from the intestine to other tissues in the body
how do longer chain fatty acids enter mucosal cell with chylomicrons?
- Enter lymph, then the blood stream
- At muscle and adipose tissue, chylomicrons are attacked and cleaved by lipoprotein lipases
- There, free fatty acids are:
- re-synthesised into triacylglycerols (in adipose tissue, for storage)
- oxidised to provide energy (in muscle)
- depends on amount available
what is lipolysis?
breakdown of fats
what is the initial cleavage of stored fat?
by hormone sensitive lipases (e.g. adrenaline-sensitive)
- releases free fatty acids & glycerol - occurs when energy is needed
where is fat stored?
adipose tissue