Lipid Metabolism Flashcards
(11 cards)
what are fatty acids?
essentially just a long chain of carbon atoms surrounded by hydrogen atoms.
what are the two main components of fatty acids?
a hydrocarbon “tail” and a carboxyl group (-COOH) “head”.
how are fatty acids categorised and what are the three types?
categorised by length.
short chain fatty acids (SCFA) - have < 8 carbons.
medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) - have 8-14 carbons.
long chain fatty acids (LCFA) - have >14 carbons.
what foods are short chain fatty acids typically found in?
fermented types of food such as alcohol, butter, cheese and yoghurt.
what foods are medium chain fatty acids typically found in?
milk fat and coconut oil.
what foods are long chain fatty acids typically found in?
LCFAs are the most common in our diets as they are found in most fats and oils e.g. olive oil, soya bean oil, fish, nuts, avocado oil and meats.
what are saturated fatty acids?
saturated fatty acids contain no carbon double bonds. they are straight and tightly packed which means that the foods are generally solid at room temperature e.g. butter, cheese, red meat are all high in saturated fatty acids.
they usually have an even number of carbons in their chain.
what are unsaturated fatty acids?
unsaturated fatty acids contain one or more carbon double bond. if they jsut contain one they are known as MONO unsaturated fat (MUFA) but if they contain more than one then they are known as POLY unsaturated fat (PUFA). they are less tightly packed than saturated and therefore the food are often liquid at room temperature e.g. plant foods and oily fish.
they are usually known as the healthy fatty acids in out diet.
what is the makeup of the carboxyl group?
has two polar groups, C=O and O-H.
what is the makeup of the hydrocarbon tail?
made up of hydrogen and carbon, is non-polar.
what is the difference between polar and non-polar?
polar: can potentially dissolve in water.
non-polar: cannot dissolve in water.
