Lipids perform a variety of functions in the human body. They are vital and must be ingested with food in the best possible ratio. Some lipids can be formed by the body itself.
What are lipids?
It is often simplistically said that lipids are fats. In fact, fats (neutral fats or triglycerides) are also the best-known lipids. However, substances belonging to the group of lipids also include fatty acids, which play a major role in healthy nutrition, as well as waxes, sterol esters or phospholipids. An important subgroup of lipids are lipoids (fat-like substances), which are also called compound lipids. Lipids and lipoids are of great importance in human metabolism because they are involved in numerous processes and some of them are essential (i.e. necessary for life and to be taken in with food). By the way, blood lipids are also lipids. Chemically, lipids consist of the basic elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and they can be of animal or plant origin. Characteristic of lipids is that they are only very slightly soluble in water, but can be dissolved well in various solvents.
Medical and health functions, roles and meanings.
Lipids, especially fats, with their high caloric content of 9.3 kilocalories per gram, are important energy suppliers and serve as long-term energy storage in the form of depot fat. They are a component of the cell membrane and provide protection against external influences and cold. An important task of lipids is to make the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K available to the body. Foods containing these vitamins (e.g. carrots) should therefore always be prepared with a little oil. Lipids also provide the body with cholesterol and lecithin, and they are suppliers of aroma and flavor. Lipoids, the fat-like substances, serve as emulsifiers or “solubilizers” between fat-soluble and water-soluble substances and ensure, among other things, smooth transport in the blood and lymph. One of the best-known lipoids is cholesterol, which is needed for the formation of hormones, bile acids and vitamin D. Cholesterol is one of the lipids or lipoids that the body produces itself, but it is also taken in through food (fatty meat, egg yolks). Fatty acids play a central role: they are involved in countless metabolic processes. A distinction is made between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The body does not need saturated fatty acids – such as those found in butter, lard, coconut fat or palm kernel oil. Unsaturated fatty acids, on the other hand, are of biological importance, and some of the polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential. Among other things, they are responsible for the digestion and absorption (absorption) of triclycerides or dietary fats, which also belong to the lipids.
Diseases, ailments, and disorders
If lipid or fat metabolism is disturbed, health problems may result. Poor nutrition and lack of exercise are the most common causes of too much depot fat, which produces overweight to morbid obesity. Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or coronary heart disease, but also type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, are the frequent consequences. It also favors the development of arteriosclerosis. A large number of diseases are now based on a disturbed lipid metabolism, i.e. on excessively high blood lipids. Here, total blood lipids, tryglizerides or cholesterol may be elevated, and the countermeasures to be taken must be adapted accordingly. The basic measure is always to optimize the weight, since in most cases overweight is present. A low-fat, whole-food diet, increased physical activity and stress reduction are further measures. In the diet, it is not only the quantity of fat that matters, but above all the quality of the fat used: Above all, unsaturated fatty acids should move more into the diet in favor of saturated fatty acids (such as olive, rapeseed, linseed and walnut oil). Since lipids are also involved in the utilization and formation of many substances in the body, a disturbance of the lipid metabolism can also have a negative effect on the hormone system, the interaction of enzymes or vitamin utilization. Numerous other health disorders can then also result from this. A healthy lifestyle, on the other hand, can positively support the effect of lipids in the organism.
