Chapter Four

The Lipids:
Fats & Oils

NUT SCI 242 Food & Nutritional Health

© Karen Lacey, MS ,RD, CD
What are Lipids?
 A family of compounds that includes
– Triglycerides (fats & oils)
 Fats: lipids that are solid at room
temperature
 Oils: lipids that are liquid at room
temperature
– Phospholipids
– Sterols (cholesterol).
 I. A Primer on Fats
A. The Functions of
Fat in the Body
 Energy source esp.
for muscles
 Serves as an energy
reserve
 1# body fat contains
3500 kcal
 30-50# of stored fat
Cont’d
 Major component of cell membranes
 Nourishes skin & hair
 Insulates the body from temperature
extremes
 Cushion the vital organs to protect
them from shock
B. The Functions of Fat in Food

 Provide calories (9 per

gram)
 Provide satiety
 Carry fat-soluble
vitamins & essential
fatty acids
 Contribute aroma &
flavor
Lipid Terminology
 Triglycerides: the major class of
dietary lipids, including fats & oils
– Made up of 3 units known as fatty
acids and 1 unit called glycerol
(backbone)
– Comprise about 95% of lipids in
food and the human body
Cont’d
 Phospholipids:
– 2nd of three main classes of lipids
– similar to a triglyceride, but contains
phosphorous
 Sterols
– 3rd of three main classes of lipids;
– Cholesterol
 one of the sterols
 manufactured in the body for a variety of purposes
Cont’d
 Fatty acids:
– basic units of fat composed of
chains of carbon atoms
– an acid group at one end and
hydrogen atoms attached all along
their length
II. A Closer View of Fats
A. Chain Length (number of carbons linked
together)
 Shorter = more soluble in water
B. Saturated vs. Unsaturated (number of
hydrogens the chain is holding)
 Maximum = saturated
 Unsaturated = one or more is missing
 Point of unsaturation = site where hydrogen is
missing
Cont’d
 Saturated fatty acid: a
fatty acid carrying the
maximum possible
number of hydrogen
atoms
– Animal foods such as
meat, poultry and full-
fat dairy products
– Tropical oils such as
palm and coconut
Cont’d
 Unsaturated fatty acid: a
fatty acid with one or more
points of unsaturation.
– Found in foods from
both plants & animal
sources
 Monounsaturated fatty
acids (one double bond)
 Polyunsaturated fatty
acids (two or more)
Cont’d
 Monounsaturated fatty
acid: also called a MUFA;
a fatty acid containing
one point of unsaturation
– Found mostly in
vegetable oils such as
olive, canola & peanut
Cont’d
 Polyunsaturated fatty
acids: also called a
PUFA; a fatty acid in
which two or more point
of unsaturation occur
– Found in nuts,
vegetable oils such as
safflower, sunflower
and soybean, and in
fatty fish
B. Essential Fatty Acids
 The body can synthesize all of the fatty
acids it needs from carbohydrates, fat or
protein except for two:
1. Linoleic acid
2. Linolenic acid
– PUFAs
– Found in plant & fish oils
 Omega - 6 versus Omega - 3

Omega – 6
 Linoleic

Omega – 3
 Linolenic
 Cold water fish
 Help dissolve blood clots
 Lower blood pressure
 Dilate the arteries
 III. Characteristics of
Fats in Foods

A. Liquid vs Solid
 More saturated a fat is, the
more solid it is at room
temperature
 More unsaturated a fat is, the
more liquid it is at room
temperature
III. Characteristics of Fats in Foods

A. Hydrogenation
 The process of adding hydrogen to
unsaturated fat to make it more solid
and more resistant to chemical changes
such as spoiling
 Increasing a fat’s saturation can cause a
fat to lose its unsaturated health
benefits
C. Trans-Fatty Acids
 Formed when margarine is processed
 Hydrogen molecules are on opposite sides of
point of unsaturation
 “Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”
 Link between trans fatty acids and heart
disease
 Table 4-3, page 107
 Keep to minimum
V. Phospholipids
 A lipid consisting of a water-soluble head
and a fat-soluble tail
 Contain phosphorous
 Component of cell membranes
 Serve as emulsifiers (allow fats and water to
mix and travel in and out of cells into
watery fluid on both sides)
Cont’d
 Lecithin is a
common
phospholipid
– Often used as an
emulsifier in
foods such as
margarine,
chocolate &
salad dressings
 V. Cholesterol – a Sterol
 Found only in animal products
 Also made & used in the body:
– Structure of cell membranes
– Used to make bile for digestion
 Bile: a mixture of compounds, made by
the liver, stored in the gallbladder, &
secreted into the small intestine
 Emulsifies lipids to prepare them for
enzymatic digestion & helps transport
them into the intestinal wall cells
Cont’d
 Used to make the sex hormones
estrogen & testosterone
 Made into vitamin D with the help of
sunlight
 Deposited in the artery walls leading
to plaque buildup & heart disease
VI. How the Body Handles Fat

A. Digestion
B. Emulsification
C. Absorption
VII. Lipids & Health

A. Good vs. Bad Cholesterol

B. http://www.americanheart.org/
C. http://www.mayohealth.org/
D. http://www.fda.gov/
B. Lowering Blood Cholesterol
Levels
 Eat no more than 30% of calories from fat
 Eat no more than 8-10% of calories from
saturated fat
 Eat no more than 10% of calories from
PUFAs
 MUFAs should make up 10-15% of total
calories
 Limit daily cholesterol intake to no more
than 300 milligrams
VIII. Fat in the Diet
A. Food Guide Pyramid
 3 groups traditionally account
for nine-tenths of the fat in the
U.S. diet
 Fats, oils & sweets group
 Meat, poultry, fish, dry
beans, eggs & nut group
 Milk, yogurt & cheese group
 Most of the fat in our diets
comes from animal
products
B. Fat Substitutes
 Carbohydrate-based
– Help retain moisture to maintain the juiciness or
creaminess that is lost with fat reduction
– Carrageenan, fruit purees, gelatin, gums,
starches & products made from fiber
 Protein-based
– Proteins are cooked & blended to form tiny
round particles that trap water to maintain the
mouth feel of fat
– Whey protein concentrate (Dairy-Lo), or milk &
egg white protein (Simplesse)
Cont’d
 Fat-based
– Are either only partially digestible or
completely undigestible to prevent
absorption of fat
– Caprenin (substitute for cocoa butter in
candy), Salatrim (found in low fat baking
chips), and olestra (often found in fat free
potato chips)
C. At the Grocery Store
 Read labels to
determine both
the amounts &
types of fat
contained in
foods
D. In the Kitchen
 Use canola & olive oil for
baking & cooking
 Prepare lean cuts of meat
 Bake, broil & steam instead
of frying
 Use low-fat or fat-free dairy
products & dressings
 Season with herbs & spices
rather than with fats
 Incorporate plant-based
protein sources such as soy
& legumes
E. At the Table
 Eat more fresh fruits &
vegetables
 Use jam instead of butter
 Limit use of high-fat
condiments including mayo,
butter & sour cream or use
low-fat varieties
 Use mostly
monounsaturated vegetable
oils such as olive or canola
 Eat fewer high-fat desserts
F. Recipe Modification
 Egg whites
 Fat-free evaporated
milk
 Fat-free sour cream
 Fruit purees
 Fat-free cream
cheese
 Oils
IX. Diet & Heart Disease
A. Risk Factors
 High cholesterol
 High blood pressure
 Smoking
 Diabetes
 Lack of exercise
 Stress
 Obesity
 Unhealthy diet
 Age
 Gender
 Genetics
 Cont’d
B. Ways to Reduce Risk
 Limit intake of cholesterol
& saturated fat
 Quit smoking
 Maintain a healthy weight
 Eat high fiber foods
 Increase physical activity
 Increase fruit & vegetable
consumption
 Limit alcohol
consumption