Introduction to Lipid Nutrition

By

Dr/ Ghada Mohamed Ezzat

Associate professor of Medical biochemistry
Faculty of Medicine .Assiut University
➢ Lipid :
A family of organic (carbon- containing) compounds soluble in
organic solvents but not in water.
Lipids include triglycerides (fats and oils), phospholipids, and
Sterols.
➢ Fats
lipids that are solid at room temperature.
➢ Oils
lipids that are liquid at room temperature.
Lipids include triglycerides (fats and oils), phospholipids, and
Sterols.
Triglycerides :
The chief form of fat in foods and in the human body.
A triglyceride is made up
of three units of fatty
acids and one unit of
glycerol .
In research, triglycerides
are often called
triacylglycerols .

Depending on which fatty acids are incorporated into a triglyceride, the

resulting fat will be softer or harder. Triglycerides containing mostly the
shorter-chain fatty acids or the more unsaturated ones are softer and melt
more readily at lower temperatures.
phospholipids
➢ Lipids have a phosphorus-containing acid in
➢ place of one of the fatty acids.
➢ Phospholipids are present in
➢ all cell membranes.
➢ lecithin :
A phospholipid manufactured by the liver and o found in
als many foods; a major constituent of cell
membranes.
▪ Importance of phospholipid structure:
▪ The fatty acids make phospholipids soluble in fat; the phosphate
group allows them to dissolve in water.
▪ Food industry to use phospholipids as emulsifiers .
▪ Both nature and the food industry use lecithin as an emulsifier to
combine water-soluble and fat-soluble ingredients that do not
ordinarily mix, such as water and oil.
▪ The richest food sources of lecithin are eggs, liver, soybeans, wheat
germ, and
peanuts.
▪ As for lecithin taken as a supplement, the digestive enzyme
Sterols:
1-Compounds containing a four ring carbon structure with any of a variety of side chains attached.
2-Foods derived from both plants and animals.
3-Sterols other than cholesterol are naturally found in all plants. Being structurally similar to
cholesterol, these plant sterols interfere with cholesterol absorption, thus lowering blood cholesterol
levels.
-Food manufacturers have fortified foods such as margarine with plant sterols, creating a functional
food that helps to reduce blood cholesterol.
Sources :meats, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products.
➢ • Cholesterol
➢ Compounds made from cholestrol:
➢ • Bile acids • Steroid hormones (testosterone, androgens, estrogens,
progesterones, cortisol, cortisone, and aldosterone)and VitaminD

▪ As a structural component of cell membranes; more than 90 percent of all the

body’s cholesterol resides in the cells.

▪ Liver is manufacturing cholesterol from fragments of carbohydrate, protein,

and fat 800 to 1500 milligrams of cholesterol per day, thus contributing much
more to the body’s total than does the diet. For perspective, the Daily Value for
cholesterol is 300 mg/day.

▪ Atherosclerosis :artery disease characterized by placques (accumulations of

lipid-containing material) on the inner walls of the arteries
Lipids importance
1. Provide and store energy

2. Cushion vital organs

3. Insulate against temperature extremes

4. Transport fat-soluble VITAMINS.

➢ Phospholipids play key roles in cell membranes.
➢ ▪ Sterols play roles as part of bile, vitamin D, the sex
hormones, and other important compounds.
➢ ▪ Plant sterols in foods inhibit cholesterol
absorption.
 Fatty
acids
A fatty acid is an organic
acid— a chain of carbon
atoms with hydrogens
attached—
that has an acid group (COOH)
at one end and a methyl group (CH3)
at the other end.
. Essential fatty acids
Fatty acids that the body needs but
➢ Acetic acid is the shortest such acid(two carbon atoms )

➢ Fatty acids contain even numbers of carbons in their

chains—up to 24 carbons in length.

➢ Stearic acid is the simplest of the 18-carbon fatty acids.

Classification of fatty acids:

➢ The long-chain (12 to 24 carbons) fatty acids of meats, fish,

and vegetable oils are most common in the diet.

➢ Medium-chain (6 to 10 carbons)

➢ Short-chain (fewer than 6 carbons) fatty acids also occur,

primarily in dairy products.
The Degree of Unsaturation
➢ A saturated fatty acid have no double bond
As stearic acid.
➢ Monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA):
a fatty acid that has one double bond
between carbons.for example, oleic acid.
A monounsaturated fat is composed of
triglycerides .

➢ Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA):

Two or more double bonds between carbons —
linoleic acid (two double bonds)
linolenic acid (three double bonds).
Firmness of fat
▪ The polyunsaturated vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature.
▪ the more saturated animal fats are solid.

▪ Cocoa butter, palm oil, and coconut oil

▪ Are saturated even though they are of vegetable origin

▪ They are firmer than most vegetable oils because of their
saturation
▪ Softer than most animal fats because of their shorter carbon chains
(8 to 14 carbons long)
 The Location of Double Bonds
Omega number:
Indicates the position of the first double bond in a fatty acid,
counting from the methyl (CH3) end.
 Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids
➢ An omega-3 fatty
acid’s First double bond
occurs three carbons from the
methyl end.
Linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid

➢ An omega-6
fatty acid’s
first double bond occurs six
carbons
from the methyl end.
Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid
Essential fatty acids: fatty acids needed by the body but not made by it in
amounts sufficient to meet physiological needs.

Linoleic acid (18 carbons, omega-6) and linolenic acid (18 carbons, omega-3) are
essential nutrients.

Roles of Triglycerides
Arachidonic acid: an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid with 20 carbons and
four double bonds; present in small amounts in meat and other animal products
and synthesized in the body from linoleic acid.

▪ Recommended omega-6 to omega-3 ratio: 6 to 1

 Omega 3
A-Eicosapentaenoic (acid (EPA):
An omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with 20 carbons and five double bonds.

B-Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA):

an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with 22 carbons and six double
bonds.BOTH A AND B present in fish and synthesized in limited amounts in the
body from linolenic acid.

3- eicosanoids (eye-COSS-uh-noyds):
derivatives of 20-carbon fatty acids; biologically active compounds that help to
regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, and other body functions. They include
prostaglandins, thromboxanes (, and leukotrienes
Sources of omega 3,6,and 9 fatty acids
Major sources of saturated fats: •
Whole milk, cream, butter, cheese • Fatty cuts of beef and pork •
Coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils (and products containing them
such as candies, pastries, pies, doughnuts, and cookies)\

◆ Major sources of trans fats: • Deep-fried foods Cakes, cookies,,

pastry, Margarine Meat and dairy products.
◆ Major sources of cholesterol:
• Eggs • Milk products • Meat, poultry, shellfish

◆ When selecting : •
Margarine, look for Soft instead of hard
Liquid vegetable oil ======Trans fat free”
.
Sources of monounsaturated fats:
• Olive oil, peanut oil • Avocados

◆ Sources of polyunsaturated fats:

• (safflower, sesame, soy, corn, sunflower)
Vegetable oils
◆ Major sources of omega-3 fats:
• Vegetable oils (canola, soybean, flaxseed)
• Walnuts, flaxseeds
• Fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines)
Stability(OXIDATION OF FATTY ACID)
▪ Saturation influences stability.
▪ Saturated fats least likely to become OXIDIZED
▪ Polyunsaturated fats spoil most readily
▪ Monounsaturated fats are slightly less susceptible.
▪ Protection from rancidity:
▪ Products may be sealed in air-tight, nonmetallic containers, protected from light,
and refrigerated.
▪ Add antioxidants (the additives BHA and BHT and vitamin E).
▪ Saturate some or all of the points of unsaturation by adding hydrogen
molecules(hydrogenation).
 Hydrogenation
▪ A chemical process by which hydrogens are added
to monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty
▪ Advantages:
▪ First, it protects against oxidation by making
polyunsaturated fats more saturated.
▪ Second, it alters the texture of foods by making liquid
vegetable
Trans-fatty acids:
▪ Fatty acids with hydrogens on opposite sides
▪ of the double bond.

▪ A small percentage of those found in milk

▪ and meat products are trans-fatty.

▪ There is a relationship between trans-fatty acids

▪ and heart disease .
 Trans-fatty acids:
▪ Fatty acids with hydrogens on opposite sides
▪ of the double bond.

▪ A small percentage of those found in milk

▪ and meat products are trans-fatty.

▪ There is a relationship between trans-fatty

acids
▪ and heart disease .
Balance Omega-6 and Omega-3 Intakes
• Most people eat more omega-6 fats than omega-3 fats, on average about
10 times more.
• A low intake of omega-3 fats is not good for cardiovascular health, so
bringing the two into better balance is a good idea.

❑ In the human body, (LINOLEIC) LA and ALA (ALPHA LINOLINEIC)compete

for metabolism by the enzyme delta-6-desaturase.

❑ It has been suggested that this is important for health, as high intake of
LA would reduce the amount of delta-6-desaturase available for the
metabolism of ALA, which may increase the risk of heart disease.
-Benefits from Omega-3 Fats
A-Reducing the risks of heart disease and stroke.
B- prevent blood clots, protect against irregular heartbeats, and lower
blood pressure, especially in people with hypertension or atherosclerosis.
Digestion of lipids and Lipase enzyme
 Mouth :

➢ Triglycerides are hydrolyzed into small molecules that the body can absorb
and use—namely, monoglycerides, fatty acids, and glycerol.

➢ the Mouth Fat digestion by lingual lipase

➢ ◆ that plays a minor role in fat digestion in adults digestion in adults and an
active role in infants.
➢ In infants, this enzyme efficiently digests the short- and medium-chain fatty
acids found in milk.
◆Stomach
A gastric lipase accesses and hydrolyzes only a very small amount of fat.
In the Small Intestine
When fat enters the small intestine, it triggers the release of the hormone
cholecystokinin (CCK), which signals the gallbladder to release its stores of bile.
This structure improves bile’s ability to act as an emulsifier, drawing fat molecules
into the surrounding watery fluids.
.
Digestion and absorption of other lipids
Phospholipids
▪ Are digested similarly—that is, their fatty acids are removed
by hydrolysis.
▪ The two fatty acids and the remaining phospholipid
fragment are then absorbed.

Sterols
▪ can be absorbed with no digestion.
▪ if any fatty acids are attached, they are first hydrolyzed off.
Structure of bile
1-In addition to bile acids and bile salts,
bile contains cholesterol, phospholipids
(especially lecithin), antibodies, water,
electrolytes, and bilirubin and biliverdin
(pigments resulting from the breakdown of
heme).

Bile acids pair up with an amino acid (a

building block of protein). The amino acid
end is attracted to water, and the sterol
end is attracted to fat.
 Bile’s Routes
▪ After emulsification ,bile has two possible pathways.

▪ Most of the bile is reabsorbed from the intestine and recycled.

▪ bile can be trapped by dietary fibers in the large intestine and

carried out of the body with the feces.

▪ Because cholesterol is needed to make bile, the excretion of

bile effectively reduces blood cholesterol.
Lipid Absorption :
▪ Small molecules of digested triglycerides (glycerol and short- and medium-
chain fatty acids) can diffuse easily into the intestinal cells; they are absorbed
directly into the bloodstream.
▪ Larger molecules (monoglycerides and long-chain fatty acids) merge into
spherical complexes, known as micelles.

▪ Micelles: Tiny spherical complexes of emulsified fat that arise during digestion;
most contain bile salts and the products of lipid digestion, including fatty acids,
monoglycerides and cholesterol.

▪ The intestinal cells assemble freshly absorbed lipids into chylomicrons.

▪ lipid packages with protein
▪ chylomicrons the class of lipoproteins that transport lipids from the intestinal cells
to the
Lipid Transport
The chylomicrons are only one of several clusters of lipids and proteins that are used as
transport vehicles for fats.

As a group, these vehicles are known as lipoproteins,

Lipoproteins :clusters of lipids associated with proteins that serve as transport vehicles
for lipids in the lymph and blood.

VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein): the type of lipoprotein made primarily by

liver cells to transport lipids to various tissues in the body; composed primarily
of triglycerides.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein): the type of lipoprotein derived from very-low-

density lipoproteins (VLDL) as VLDL triglycerides are removed and broken down;
composed primarily of cholesterol.
The LDL transport their contents to the cells of all tissues— muscles
(including the heart muscle), fat stores, the mammary glands, and
others.
The cells take triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids to build new
membranes, make hormones or other compounds, or store for later
use.
Special LDL receptors on the liver cells play a crucial role in the control
of blood cholesterol concentrations by removing LDL from circulation.
(LDL) may release glycerol, fatty acids, cholesterol, and
phospholipids to the blood.

The liver makes HDL (high-density lipoprotein) to carry

cholesterol from the cells back to the liver for recycling or
disposal.
Transport functions of lipoproteins
Class Origine Transport

CM enterocyte exogenous TAG from GIT to peripheral tissues

VLDL liver endogenous TAG from liver to periph. tissues

LDL plasma cholesteryl esters to peripheral tissues

HDL liver cholesterol from tissues to liver
1. All four types of lipoproteins carry all classes of lipids (triglycerides,
phospholipids, and cholesterol)
2. but the chylomicrons are the largest and the highest in triglycerides;
3. VLDL are smaller and are about half triglycerides;
4. LDL are smaller still and are high in cholesterol;
5. and HDL are the smallest and are rich in protein
High blood LDL cholesterol poses a risk of heart disease
and high intakes of saturated and trans fats, specifically, contribute
most to high LDL.
Cholesterol in foods presents less of a
risk. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to be
protective
Fat supplies 60 percent of the body’s ongoing energy needs during rest.

During prolonged light to moderately intense exercise fat stores may make a
slightly greater contribution to energy needs.

A person who fasts (drinking only water) will rapidly metabolize body fat.

• Fat can provide very little glucose to give energy to the brain and nerves.
• Only the small glycerol molecule can be converted to glucose; fatty acids
cannot be.
• After prolonged glucose deprivation, brain and nerve cells develop the
ability to derive about two-thirds of their minimum energy needs from the
ketone bodies that the body makes from fat fragments.
• fasting for too long will cause death, even if the person still has ample body
fat.
➢ Dietary 2005 guidelines
➢ Diet that is low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and provides 20
to 35 percent of the daily energy intake from fat (exercise ).
➢ a 2000-kcalorie diet, 20 to 35 percent represents 400 to 700 kcalories from
fat (roughly 45 to 75 grams). (44 TO 77).
➢ linoleic acid provide 5 to 10 percent of the daily energy intake .
➢ linolenic acid 0.6 to 1.2 percent
➢ 10 percent of kcalories from saturated fatty acids .
➢ less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol
➢ and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
 From Guidelines to Groceries
Many meats and meat alternates contain fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
but also provide high-quality protein and valuable vitamins and minerals.

➢ Very lean options:

• Chicken (white meat, no skin); tuna (canned in water); legumes

➢ Lean options: • Beef or; chicken (dark meat, no skin); salmon; tuna
(canned in oil)

➢ Medium-fat options: • beef, eggs,

➢ High-fat options: •, luncheon meats, hot dogs, peanut butter, nuts

 Guidelines
When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, and milk or milk products,
make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
For examples
Fat-free and low-fat options: •
Fat-free or 1% milk or yogurt (plain);
Fat-free and low-fat cheeses
Reduced-fat options: •
2% milk, low-fat yogurt (plain)
High-fat options:
• Whole milk, regular cheeses
 QUIZ
1. Be aware of the fats in milks.(QUESTION)
Following are four categories of milk (wt is 244 gm,protein 8gm,cho is 12
gm for each but fat content are .
I. Milk A (1 c) 8 gm
II. Milk B (1 c) 5 gm
III. Milk (1 c) 3
IV. Milk D (1 c) 0 gm
a. Based on weight, what percentage of each milk is fat (round
off to a whole number)?
b. b. How much energy from fat will a person receive from
drinking 1 cup of each milk?
c. c. How much total energy will the person receive from 1 cup
of each milk?
d. d. What percentage of the energy in each milk comes from
fat?
e. e. In the grocery store, how is each milk labeled?
 Answers:
1----(3,2,1, 0)%

2--(72,45,27,0)k cal.

3 --(152,125,107, 80) k cal.

4)( 47,36,25,0) %

5e. Milk A: whole Milk

B: reduced-fat, 2%, or less-fat
Milk C: low-fat or 1%
Milk D: fat-free, nonfat, skim, zero-fat, or no-fat