25 Examples of Fatty Acids

The fatty acids They are biomolecules of lipid constitution that constitute the elemental component of the grease. They are made up of carbon chains that have a carboxyl group, with a usually even carbon number: generally from 16 to 22 atoms carbon. For example: butyric fatty acid, oleic fatty acid, linoleic fatty acid.

This number of atoms contributes to the metabolism of eukaryotes, since the fatty acid chains are synthesized and degraded by the addition or elimination of acetate units.

Fatty acids are present in food, in general combined with another class of substances: free are rare, and are usually the product of lipolytic alteration. However, they are fundamental constituents of the vast majority of lipids.

Fatty acid classification

When the bonds between carbons they are simple, always having the same distance between them, it is said that they are saturated fatty acids. The longer the chain, the greater the possibility of formation of these weak interactions, which temperature environment are usually found in solid state.

When the links, on the other hand, are of double or triple character and the distance between the carbons is not constant and neither are the bond angles, fatty acids are usually found in liquid state and it is said that it is in the presence of unsaturated fatty acids. A healthy diet should have fatty acids of the saturated type as well as the unsaturated type.

Importance in diet

Fatty acids are of vital importance in the human feeding as they contain a series of basic elements for the correct functioning of the organism, such as several vitamins.

The creation of enzymes Y cell membranes, even brain activity and cardiovascular health are highly favored when there is a regular consumption of this class of food, which goes even deeper in the case of children as fatty acids ensure proper growth and development.

Risks in excess

However, the consumption of fats It must be properly ordered with respect to the aforementioned classification, because when it is done in excess it has some intrinsic risks: lipid metabolism disorders may occur, such as cholesterol; it can contribute to overweight and obesity, or it can promote the production of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and thrombosis.

Some Metabolic diseases such as diabetes, they occur from excess fat consumption, which in many cases appear in foods with a very rich taste and very attractive to consumers.

Usually the recommendation of the medical associations is that the daily intake of energy from fats does not exceed 30% of the daily diet, and that these fats contain no more than 25% of saturated fatty acids.

Types of fatty acids

In the following list, the first twelve correspond to the category of the saturated fatty acids.

1. Butyric fatty acid
2. Caproic fatty acid
3. Caprylic Fatty Acid
4. Lauric fatty acid
5. Arachidic fatty acid
6. Behenic fatty acid
7. Lignoceric fatty acid
8. Cerotic fatty acid
9. Myristic fatty acid
10. Palmitic fatty acid
11. Stearic fatty acid
12. Caproleic fatty acid
13. Lauroleic fatty acid
14. Palmitoleic fatty acid
15. Oleic fatty acid
16. Vaccenic fatty acid
17. Gadoleic fatty acid
18. Ketoleic fatty acid
19. Erucic fatty acid
20. Linoleic fatty acid
21. Linolenic fatty acid
22. Gamma linolenic fatty acid
23. Stearidonic fatty acid
24. Arachidonic fatty acid
25. Clupadonic fatty acid

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