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I. Frequently Asked Questions about Fatty Acid Metabolism

                                                           

Fatty Acid Structure: Answer

What is the structure of a fatty acid?

Fatty acids are carboxylic acids attached to alkyl chains. The common fatty acids in mammalian systems are unbranched, and may have one or more double bonds. These double bonds are cis. Branched chain fatty acids and fatty acids containing aliphatic ring systems are known.