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Fats and their role in health and disease: length of fatty acid chains FATS AND THEIR ROLE IN HEALTH AND DISEASE: LENGTH OF FATTY ACID CHAINS
Fatty acids can be classified based on their length, and this gives them different properties.
Short-chain fatty acids contain between four and six carbon atoms and are always saturated. Examples include butyric acid, containing four carbon atoms and present in butter, and capric acid, containing 6 carbon atoms and found in goat milk. Short-chain fatty acids have an anti-microbial effect in our digestive tract; they help to protect us from infections by bacteria, viruses and yeasts. They do not need bile to get digested; they are absorbed straight through our intestines and can be used straight away for energy.
Medium-chain fatty acids contain between eight and 12 carbon atoms. They are commonly found in butterfat and tropical oils like coconut fat. These fats also do not need bile to be digested, thus provide a quick source of energy. You may have heard of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) used in the diets of people with digestive or liver diseases. They are also sometimes used by athletes, and are popular because they require very little digestive effort, and are quickly burnt off as energy, not stored as fat. They also have antimicrobial properties. Coconut fat is very high in lauric acid, which is a medium-chain fatty acid. In our body lauric acid is turned into monolaurin; this fat has antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties. It acts to destroy lipid coated viruses such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, HIV, some bacteria such as listeria and Helicobacter pylori, as well as protozoa including giardia lamblia. Unrefined, or virgin coconut fat is an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Long-chain fatty acids contain between 14 and 18 carbon atoms, and they may be saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. One example of an 18 carbon saturated fatty acid is steric acid; it is found mainly in beef and lamb fat. Long chain saturated fatty acids are solid at body temperature and are sticky. If we consume large amounts of this type of fat, our bloodstream can become sticky, placing us at greater risk of heart disease. Our body can actually convert refined carbohydrates and sugar we have eaten into long chain saturated fatty acids. Therefore, eating a lot of sugar increases the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in our body.
An example of an 18 carbon monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid, round in olive oil. The Omega 6 essential fatty acid linoleic acid and the Omega 3 essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid are both long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, with 18 carbon atoms each. Very-long-chain fatty acids contain between 20 and 24 carbon atoms. These include the Omega 3 essential fatty acids found in fish; eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as well arachidonic acid (AA), found mainly in red meat. Most of these fats are used in the production of prostaglandins; hormone like substances in the body.
Plant sterols and stanols are also called phytosterols, and have a very similar structure to cholesterol. Plant sterols are found in the oils of plants such as nuts and seeds. The major plant sterol is called beta-sitosterol. Sterols are often refined and concentrated and added to margarines which claim to lower cholesterol levels. They can help to lower our cholesterol level by competing with cholesterol for absorption in our intestines.
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