Fats vs CHO Flashcards
What are the types of fats?
Mono, poly, saturated and trans.
What are the degrees of polymerisation of CHO?
Sugars 1-2 DP
Oligosaccharides 3-9 DP
Polysaccharides >9 DP
What is the recommended amount of Fats?
2000mg combined with EPA and DHA (optimal omega-3 index, reduce CVD risk)
560g oily fish/week
What is the recommended amount of CHO?
50% total energy intake
25g (<10%) free sugars
30g fibre
What are the health effects of fats?
- Provision of energy
- Effects on satiety/gastric emptying
- Fat-soluble vitamin utilisation
- Cellular integrity
- Storage as adipose (insulation)
- Effect on cholesterol levels
- Brain function
Inflammation (n3 dampens)
What are the health effects of CHO?
- Provision of energy
- Effects on satiety
- Control of blood glucose and insulin metabolism
- Protein glycosylation
- Cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism
- Fermentation
- Bile-acid dehydroxylation
Explain the fatty acid structure
- Varying chain lengths: 4 carbons shortest
- Carboxylic acid (COOH) at one on (alpha carbon); methyl (CH3) on the other end (omega carbon)
- Double bonds = primary structural difference in types of fat
- Count from the omega end and note the ‘position’ of double bonds
- Nomenclature: C(n):n (double bonds)
Structure of Omega 3
1st double bond on 3rd carbon from omega
Structure of Omega 6
1st double bond on 6th carbon from omega
Explain phospholipids
3rd carbon attached to phosphorus
Hydrophilic head
Hydrophobic tail
Create a bilipid semipermeable membrane, 2 distinct aqueous compartments either side separation essential for several functions (incl. metabolism)
Fat metabolism facts (phospholipids)
- Vital part of cell membranes
- Selective permeability
- Intermediates in metabolism
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) helps improve metabolic health.
Acetylcholine (neurotransmitter involved in metabolism)
Regulatory molecules: phosphatidylserine - cell signalling/apoptosis
Explain Beta-oxidation
- Occurs in the mitochondria of the cell.
- Two carbon acetyl fragments split from the fatty acid chain (repeats until degraded to Acetyl-CoA and enter the Krebs cycle.
- Energy yield from fatty acids alters depending on chain length (much greater than from glucose).
- Ketone formation: inadequate CHO oxaloacetate - cannot form citrate (by combining with Acetyl-CoA), so cannot enter Kreb cycle.
- Liver converts Acetyl-CoA to ketone bodies acetoacetate, Beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetone
Explain fatty acid synthesis
Cytosol of the cell (facilitated by several enzymes)
Reverse of beta-oxidation: two-carbon units added to Acetyl CoA
Acetyl-CoA comes from pyruvate (from glycolysis & carbon skeletons of amino acids breaking down)
This explains how we can gain body fat by eating excessive amounts of CHO/Protein
Chylomicrons: Deliver TG to adipose
Lipoprotein Lipase: enzyme on the surface of adipose cells, cardiac and skeletal muscle cells. Break down TG into Glycerol/fa’s - stored or used by muscle cells
Chylomicron remnants return to the liver
What are the metabolic pathways for energy release (CHO)?
Digestion: Break down into monosaccharides for absorption
Metabolic fate: Depends on body’s energy needs
-Glycogenesis
-Glycolysis
-Glycogenolysis
-Gluconeogenesis
Facts about Glycogen
Storage and creation occur in the liver and skeletal muscle
Small amounts stored elsewhere (e.g. kidney)
Liver weight: Up to 7%, approx 10g
Muscle weight,1% approx 500g
Loss of glycogen stores = weight loss at the start of a low CHO diet
Muscle glycogen stores cannot contribute to glucose homeostasis
What is Glycogenin?
Initiates glycogenesis (creating short-chain glycogen primer)
What is Glycogen synthase?
Adds glucose units to the ends of glycogen chains
What is a Branching enzyme?
Attaches branch points for 6 carbon chains
What is Glycogen phosphorylase?
breaks bonds between glucose molecules
Debranching enzymes: breaks the branch points of the molecule
Number of ATP in Glycolysis
2 ATP (anaerobic in the cytosol)
What happens when there is no oxygen available?
Pyruvate becomes lactate.
Lactate is converted back into pyruvate via gluconeogenesis
What is gluconeogenesis?
Glucose Homeostasis.
When CHO intakes are low, blood glucose levels drop. Non-CHO sources are used to create glucose.
Provides about 1/3 of the glucose used for glycogen synthesis.