Five Fabulous Fats

Happy Fat Tuesday! On this day, celebrated in many countries with lavish parties and high-fat foods, we’re recognizing the importance of fats in the body. You’ve probably heard about different types of fat, such as saturated, trans, monounsaturated, omega-3, and omega-6. But fats aren’t just ingredients in food. Along with similar molecules, they fall under the broad term lipids and serve critical roles in the body. Lipids protect your vital organs. They help cells communicate. They launch chemical reactions needed for growth, immune function, and reproduction. They serve as the building blocks of your sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone). Here we feature five of the hundreds of lipids that are essential to health. Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid (known nutritionally as a “good” fat). It makes up a significant portion of the human brain, skin, sperm, testicles, and retina (part of the eye). Although our bodies can make very small amounts of DHA, the most common source of DHA is food. Fish and seafood, particularly fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, or herring, are the best places to find this important fat. Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Our bodies make sphingosine-1-phosphate by adding a few atoms to another molecule. Although we don’t need much, sphingosine-1-phosphate is necessary throughout the body. It’s especially important for shoring up the walls of blood vessels ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Cell Biology Chemistry and Biochemistry Pharmacology Cellular Processes Diseases Lipids Source Type: blogs