Fats Flashcards
Compounds that are fatty acids or their derivatives.
Lipids
Organic compounds with long hydrocarbon chains that are saturated or unsaturated.
Fatty Acids
Comprised of two fatty acids, a phosphate group, and a glycerol molecule. The phosphate group head is water soluble and the fatty acid tail is water insoluble. They align themselves to form the cell membrane.
Phospholipids
A lipid-like waxy substance found in all cell membranes, most body tissues, and body fluids – the body needs some of this to make steroid hormones and vitamin D.
Cholesterol
Fatty acids that have the maximum number of hydrogen molecules and contain only single bonds between their carbon atoms.
Saturated Fatty Acids
Foods high in ____ fatty acids nature this are usually solid at room temperature (like butter) and are often found in animal fat, palm oil, and coconut oil.
Saturated
Fatty acids that have one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms in the carbon chain.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
____ Fatty Acids are typically liquid at room temperature, relatively unstable, and are prone to oxidative damage.
Unsaturated
What kind of bonds do saturated fatty acids have?
Single bonds
What kind of bonds do unsaturated fatty acids have?
double bonds
The process of forcing hydrogen into vegetable oil to create a semi-solid or solid saturated fat.
Hydrogenation
The imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants – free radicals are oxygen-containing molecules with an uneven number of electrons, which makes them susceptible to react with other molecules.
Oxidative Damage
Unsaturated fats that have one unsaturated carbon molecule (two hydrogen atoms instead of four) or one double bond.
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Unsaturated fats that have two or more double bonds between carbon molecules.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
An artificial fatty acid that occurs when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils (unsaturated fat) to make them more solid (saturated fat) and have a more stable shelf life.
Trans Fat
Lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells, known as bad cholesterol.
Low-Density Lipoproteins
The primary storage and transportable form of fats in the body, composed of three free fatty acids bound to a glycerol backbone.
Triglycerides
Lipoprotein that carries excess cholesterol away from the cells to the liver where it is turned into bile or excreted, known as the good cholesterol.
High-Density Lipoproteins
Damage that occurs to the endothelium, the thin layer surrounding blood vessels.
Endothelial Dysfunction
The loose connective tissue composed of fat cells for stored energy.
Adipose Tissue
A combination of fat and protein that transports cholesterol and other lipids to and from various tissues through the blood.
Lipoproteins
Fatty acids that cannot be synthesized, or not in adequate amounts, and, therefore have to be consumed in the diet – they include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Essential Fatty Acids
Named based on the position of the first double bond in the carbon chain, Carbon 3, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that is found in fish, seafood, flaxseed oil, and walnuts.
Omega-3s (a-Linolenic)
What are Omega-3s also known as?
a-Linolenic
Named based on the position of the first double bond in the carbon chain, Carbon 6, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that is found primarily in plant oils such as corn, soybean, and safflower.
Omega-6s (a-Linoleic)
What are Omega-6s also known as?
a-Linoleic
What kind of fatty acids are Omega-3s and Omega-6s?
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Essential omega-3 fatty acid found in marine sources including fish and krill, serves as a precursor to various compounds that have anti-inflammatory activities in the body in addition to serving as structural components of the brain and eye tissue.
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)
Essential omega-3 fatty acid found in marine sources including fish and krill, highly abundant in the human brain, eyes, and sperm cells.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)
The recommended intake of various nutrients as determined by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine - these include recommendations like the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR).
Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)
The recommended average daily intake level based on observed or experimentally determined estimates of nutrient intake by groups of apparently healthy people that are assumed to be adequate - this is used when an RDA cannot be determined.
Adequate Intake (AI)
What is the AI per day for omega-3s?
1.6g for men and 1.1g for women
What is the AI per day for omega-6s?
17g for men and 12g for women
What is the main component of a cell’s membrane?
phospholipids