LIPIDE

Fat are an essential part of our diet and is important for good health. There are different types of fats, with some fats being
healthier than others. To help make sure you stay healthy, it is important to eat unsaturated fats in small amounts as part
of a balanced diet.
When eaten in large amounts, all fats, including healthy fats, can contribute to weight gain. Fat is higher in energy
(kilojoules) than any other nutrient and so eating less fat overall is likely to help with weight loss.
So, a diet that is low in saturated fats and trans fats, but that also includes moderate amounts of unsaturated fats will help
you stay healthy.

Saturated fats
Eating greater amounts of saturated fat is linked with an increased risk of heart disease and high blood cholesterol levels.
These fats are usually solid at room temperature and are found in:
Animal-based products:
Dairy foods – such as butter, cream, full fat milk and cheese

 Meat – such as fatty cuts of beef, pork and lamb and chicken (especially chicken skin), processed meats like salami,
Some plant-derived products:
 Palm oil
 Coconut
 Coconut milk and cream
 Cooking margarine

Unsaturated fats
Unsaturated fats are an important part of a healthy diet. These fats help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower
cholesterol levels (among other health benefits) when they replace saturated fats in the diet.
There are two main types of unsaturated fats:
Polyunsaturated fats:

 omega-3 fats which are found in fish, especially oily fish

 omega-6 fats which are found in some oils such as safflower and soybean oil, along with some nuts, including brazil
nuts.

Monounsaturated fats:

 found in olive and canola oil, avocados and some nuts, such as cashews and almonds.

Trans fats
Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been processed and as a result, behave like saturated fats. Eating trans fats
increases the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and decreases the levels of ‘good’ cholesterol in the body which is a major risk
factor for heart disease. It is important to lower the amounts of trans fats you eat to help you stay healthy.
It is great for health to replace saturated and trans fats with mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of fat found in food, but also in our blood. Cholesterol has many important functions in the body but
having high levels of the wrong type of cholesterol in the blood increases heart disease risk.
It was once thought that eating too many cholesterol-containing foods (such as eggs) was the major dietary cause of high
blood cholesterol level. But we now know that eating too many foods containing higher amounts of saturated and trans
fats is a bigger problem and has a much greater influence on blood cholesterol levels.
Types of Fat

Saturated and Unsaturated

The two main types of fat are saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are generally considered better for us than
saturated fats.

The reason that unsaturated fats are better is down to the molecular structure of fat. Saturated fat molecules form regular
shapes that clump together easily; unsaturated fat molecules however, form irregular shapes that cannot clump together
so easily. Saturated fat is therefore more likely to stick to the sides of arteries and allow other saturated fat molecules to
build up; this can gradually clog the arteries leading to higher blood pressure and making it more difficult for the heart to
pump oxygen rich blood around the body.

Fats are not soluble in water (or blood) and unless this problem is addressed – usually through change in diet and
increased exercise - it can lead to serious health problems such as coronary heart disease.

Generally (although not exclusively) saturated fats come from animal sources (meat, dairy, eggs etc.) and are usually
solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats come from vegetable sources (sunflower oil, olive oil, soya oil), oily fish
(salmon, trout, mackerel etc.) and soft margarines.

Vegetable sources do contain saturated fats but usually in low amounts; take oats for example, which contain almost 9%
fat

three main types: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated

- are the two main types of unsaturated fat

- they are unsaturated as they are missing one (mono) or more (poly) hydrogen atoms in their chemical
makeup – this is what gives them irregular shapes.

Hydrogenated or Trans Fat

Hydrogenated fat is manufactured fat used in processed foods. It contains some qualities desirable to food
manufacturers, but is perhaps the worst of all fats when it comes to health.

Hydrogenated fat is vegetable fat that has been treated with extra hydrogen. This changes the chemical makeup of the
fat – making it solid at room temperature.

Technically unsaturated fat, hydrogenated or trans-fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of LDL
cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol in the blood. This is the most important fat to avoid.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in the blood. Nearly all the cholesterol in the body is produced by the liver, very little is
found in foods although seafood, liver, kidney and eggs do contain some cholesterol. Cholesterol is vital in the body, not
only does it play a role in how all cells work but it is also a ‘building block’ for other essential chemicals that the body
produces.

Cholesterol is carried around the body in the bloodstream combined with proteins, these are called lipoproteins. There
are two main types of lipoprotein that are used to measure cholesterol levels in the blood. LDL – low-density lipoprotein
and HDL – high density lipoprotein. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is often called ‘bad’ cholesterol whereas high density
lipoprotein (HDL) is considered ‘good’ cholesterol. HDL is ‘good’ as it can remove extra bad cholesterol from the
bloodstream.

Blood cholesterol is measured by looking at the total LDL, HDL and other fats in the blood.
LIPIDE

Din punctul de vedere al originii lor, lipidele pot fi animale si vegetale. Deosebirea o dau acizii grasi care intra in
constitutia lor. Acestia sunt saturati si nesaturati .

Lipidele exista in organism sub mai multe forme, cum ar fi trigliceridele, acizii grasi liberi, fosfolipidele si steroizi.

 Trigliceridele, care sunt compuse din 3 molecule de acizi grasi si o molecula de glicerol, reprezinta cea
mai concentrata sursa de energie a corpului.

 Fosfolipidele intra in structura membranelor celulare si de asemenea reprezinta constituenti celulari de

baza in anumite tesuturi cum ar fi sistemul nervos, ficatul, splina.

 Steroizii au ca reprezentant principal colesterolul, precursorul hormonilor corticosuprarenalieni, al acizilor

biliari si al vitaminelor liposolubile (A,D,E,K). O alta forma de lipide sunt si prostaglandinele, ce joaca rol
de mesageri chimici intre celule.

Unitatea de baza a lipidelor este acidul gras, care este utilizat pentru producerea de energie.

Acizii grasi se gasesc in 2 forme:

 Saturati nu au duble legaturi in grasimile animale

 Nesaturati contin o singura dubla legatura (mononesaturati) sau mai multe duble legaturi de carbon
(polinesaturati). in grasimile vegetale

Continutul cel mai redus de grasimi saturate il intalnim in uleiurile vegetale (ulei de floarea soarelui - 11%, ulei de porumb
- 13%, ulei de masline - 14%, ulei de alune - 18%).

Colesterolul ajunge in sange prin consum alimentar sau prin sinteza hepatica. Moleculele de LDL colesterol (cel "rau")
participa la formarea placilor de aterom, care stau la baza unor boli cardiovasculare. HDL colesterolul (cel "bun")
transporta colesterolul din artere, astfel incat sa fie eliminat din corp.

Rezervele de grasimi reprezinta in jur de 10-20% din greutatea unui barbat si 20-30% din greutatea unei femei. Grasimile
sunt depozitate sub forma de trigliceride in adipocite, formand tesutul adipos; o mica parte dintre trigliceride exista si in
celulele musculare.

Regimul alimentar trebuie sa contina in jur de 20-25% lipide din totalul caloric. Din acestea 70% vor fi de origine animala
(unt, frisca, smantana, lapte, branza, carne grasa, creier, icre, ficat) si 30% de origine vegetala (alune, nuci, migdale,
seminte de floarea soarelui si dovleac, masline, soia, porumb). Grasimea de origine animala se asimileaza mai bine si
este transformata mai usor in grasime specifica organismului uman. Grasimile de origine vegetala sunt importante
deoarece furnizeaza acizi grasi nesaturati.

Unlike long-chain fatty acids found in plant-based oils, MCFAs are:

 Easier to digest
 Not readily stored as fat
 Antimicrobial and antifungal
 Smaller in size, allowing easier cell permeability for immediate energy
 Processed by the liver, which means that they’re immediately converted to energy instead of being stored as fat

All of this shows why this oil made from coconut copra makes for a true superfood, and it’s why coconut oil benefits are so
plentiful and amazing.