I. Frequently Asked Questions about Fatty Acid Metabolism
Importance of Fatty Acids: Answer
Why are fatty acids important?
- They
are major sources of energy. Most diets contain a great
deal of fatty acid in the form of triacylglycerol (esters
with glycerol). Some of our dietary carbohydrate is
converted to fat -- stored as triacylglycerol in adipose
tissue. Subsequently the fatty acids from this fat are
released to provide energy for various aerobic tissues.
- They
are precursors of essential substances in the body
(structural and metabolic). For example, phospholipids
are essential components of all cell membranes and of
plasma lipoproteins, and the essential fatty acids are
precursors of prostaglandins and related regulators.
- Defects
in fatty acid metabolism are involved in diseases.
Defects in the mitochondrial acyl CoA dehydrogenases, for
example, prevent normal fatty acid oxidation.