Who doesn’t love eating good food? No one. We all love food. It is one of the greatest pleasure of being human. But as with all good things, food has a dark side too. And the devil in food (which make it taste amazing) are fatty acids and Cholesterol. Let’s find out more about the devils in our life – fatty acids and cholesterol.
Fatty Acids And Cholesterol:
What are Fatty acids?
Fatty acids belong to the family of molecules which are further classified in the lipid macronutrient class. A distinguished role of fatty acids can be entailed within the animal metabolism where they produce energy in the form of ATO or Adenosine Triphosphate Synthesis. If compared to other macronutrient classes or proteins and carbohydrates, fatty acids willingly yield the most Adenosine Triphosphate Synthesis with the assistance of the pathway known as β-oxidation.
Importance of fatty acids:
Fatty acids are important for signaling pathways, phospholipid membrane formation and energy storage. The process of fatty acid metabolism comprises of differentiated catabolic procedures which generate energy and other primary metabolites from the essential fatty acids. Further, the fatty acid metabolism consists of anabolic process which creates molecules that are biologically important.
There are three types of fat in the human body i.e. cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids. Following the criteria of providing energy for the body, fat fulfils it’s major role. Fatty acids are the structural components of the cell membranes. In case of animals, the fatty acids and cholesterol play multifunctional roles. Essentially, the liver particularly synthesizes the lipids and prepares them for export as multimolecular complexes. These multimolecular complexes are in the form of micellar bile constituents and lipoproteins. Further the cholesterol and fatty acids synthesis depends exclusively on the balance in between hepatic output of the dietary input of cholesterol and fat.
The control of these synthetic processes is frequently coordinated on both post-translational and translational levels. The flux through the fatty acids and cholesterol reflects:
- Adjustable availability of substrates
- Lipids cellular demands
- Combination of the above two mentioned points.
Fatty acids efficiently serve as an energy source for heart, muscles and other organs as essential building blocks required for cell membranes. Fatty acids are divided into several categories like omega-3 fatty acids, essential fatty acids, monosaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Cholesterol on the other hand, is a type of fat and also provides energy to the body. High cholesterol level is directly linked to several types of heart diseases and is recommended to be kept in control.
Staying healthy is important for achieving success in life. We wish you good health 🙂
