Lipids: Biochemistry and Health (ePub)

Biochemistry today has made spectacular progress in unraveling the mysteries of animate nature. This progress has allowed us to gain deeper insight into the principles of vital activity and has to a very significant extent stimulated the development of applied disciplines, especially medicine. Lipid, any of a diverse group of organic compounds including fats, oils, hormones, and certain components of membranes that are grouped together because they do not interact appreciably with water. One type of lipid, the triglycerides, is sequestered as fat in adipose cells, which serve as the energy-storage depot for organisms and also provide thermal insulation. Some lipids such as steroid hormones serve as chemical messengers between cells, tissues, and organs, and others communicate signals between biochemical systems within a single cell. The membranes of cells and organelles (structures within cells) are microscopically thin structures formed from two layers of phospholipid molecules. 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. The aim of this book is to present a core of biochemical knowledge that is desirable for students and also those involved in the field of medical, microbiology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical.