Chapter 5: Fats: Essential Energy-Supplying Nutrients

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, definitions, and concepts related to fats, their types, functions, digestion, and dietary recommendations, including their role in chronic disease, based on Chapter 5 lecture notes.

Fats

A type of lipid, insoluble organic substances.

Lipids

A diverse class of organic substances that are insoluble in water; fats.

Triglycerides

The most common form of fat consumed, composed of three fatty acid molecules and one glycerol molecule.

Fatty acids

Long chains of carbon atoms surrounded by hydrogen atoms, a component of triglycerides.

Glycerol

A three-carbon alcohol that forms the backbone of a triglyceride.

Phospholipids

Lipids composed of a glycerol backbone, two fatty acids, and a phosphate group; soluble in water and important components of cell membranes.

Sterols

Lipids containing multiple rings of carbon atoms; essential components of cell membranes and many hormones, not required in the diet.

Cholesterol

The major sterol found in the body.

Saturated fatty acids

Fatty acids with hydrogen atoms surrounding every carbon in the chain and no double bonds; typically solid at room temperature.

Monounsaturated fatty acids

Fatty acids that lack hydrogen atoms in one region, having one double bond.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

Fatty acids that lack hydrogen atoms in multiple locations, having two or more double bonds.

Cis fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids where hydrogen atoms at the unsaturated region are arranged on the same side of the carbon chain.

Trans fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids where hydrogen atoms at the unsaturated region are arranged on opposite sides of the carbon chain.

Hydrogenation

The addition of hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fatty acids, converting liquid fats into a semisolid or solid form, often creating trans fatty acids.

Essential fatty acids

Fatty acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from the diet, including omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-6 fatty acids

An essential fatty acid (e.g., linoleic acid) found in vegetable and nut oils, precursors to eicosanoids.

Omega-3 fatty acids

An essential fatty acid (e.g., alpha-linolenic acid) found in dark-green leafy vegetables, flaxseeds, and fish, precursors to eicosanoids.

Eicosanoids

Biological compounds derived from essential fatty acids that regulate cellular function.

Linoleic acid

An omega-6 essential fatty acid found in vegetable and nut oils.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

An omega-3 essential fatty acid derived from dark-green leafy vegetables, flaxseeds, and certain oils/nuts.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

An omega-3 fatty acid with important health benefits, found in fish, shellfish, and fish oils.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

An omega-3 fatty acid with important health benefits, found in fish, shellfish, and fish oils.

Fat-soluble vitamins

Vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that require fat for their transport and absorption in the body.

Bile

A substance produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, secreted into the small intestine to disperse fat into smaller fat droplets for digestion.

Pancreatic enzymes (Lipases)

Digestive enzymes from the pancreas that break down triglycerides into fatty acids and monoglycerides in the small intestine.

Micelle

A spherical compound of fatty acids, monoglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols that transports fat digestion products to the enterocytes.

Chylomicron

A lipoprotein produced by cells lining the small intestine, composed of triglycerides surrounded by phospholipids and proteins, used to transport absorbed fats through the lymphatic system to the bloodstream.

Lipoprotein lipase

An enzyme that disassembles triglycerides in chylomicrons into two fatty acids and a monoglyceride, allowing them to enter body cells.

Visible fats

Fats that can be easily seen in foods or added to them, such as butter or fat on meat.

Hidden fats

Fats added to processed or prepared foods to improve texture or taste, or those that occur naturally in foods, often unrecognized by the consumer.

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for fat

The recommended intake range for fat, typically 20-35% of total daily Calories for most adults.

Fat replacers

Substances that can reduce the fat content of foods, often used in snack foods.

Cardiovascular disease

A chronic disease most closely associated with diets high in saturated fat.

Prostate cancer

The type of cancer that has the strongest association with dietary fat.