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The major dietary lipids for humans and other animals are animal and plant triglycerides, sterols, and membrane phospholipids. The process of lipid metabolism synthesizes and degrades the lipid stores and produces the structural and functional lipids characteristic of individual tissues.
In animals, these fats are obtained from food and are synthesized by the liver. [1] Lipogenesis is the process of synthesizing these fats. [2] [3] The majority of lipids found in the human body from ingesting food are triglycerides and cholesterol. [4] Other types of lipids found in the body are fatty acids and membrane lipids.
Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that are required by humans and other animals for normal physiological function that cannot be synthesized in the body. [1] [2] As they are not synthesized in the body, the essential fatty acids – alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid – must be obtained from food or from a dietary supplement.
Fatty acids are a major component of the lipids (up to 70% by weight) in some species such as microalgae [2] but in some other organisms are not found in their standalone form, but instead exist as three main classes of esters: triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesteryl esters.
Lipids can be found in animal fat, butterfat, vegetable oil, and leaf vegetables, and they are also used to increase flavor in foods. [30] Protein can be found in virtually all foods, as it makes up cellular material, though certain methods of food processing may reduce the amount of protein in a food. [39]
Example of an unsaturated fat triglyceride (C 55 H 98 O 6).Left part: glycerol; right part, from top to bottom: palmitic acid, oleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid. A triglyceride (from tri-and glyceride; also TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids. [1]
Animal fats are lipids derived from animals which are used by the animal for a multitude of functions, or can be used by humans for dietary, sanitary, and cosmetic purposes. Depending on the temperature of the fat, it can change between a solid state and a liquid ( oil ) state.
Phytosterols are widely recognized as having a proven LDL cholesterol lowering efficacy' [61] A 2018 review found a dose-response relationship for phytosterols, with intakes of 1.5 to 3 g/day lowering LDL-C by 7.5% to 12%, [62] but reviews as of 2017 had found no data indicating that the consumption of phytosterols may reduce the risk of CVD. [63]