How do lipids work in the body?

Answer 1

One example is the lipid bilayer found in every cell in your body. It is part of the cell membrane. The lipids have a polar head and two little tails that attach onto the tails of another lipid, which is why it's a bi (meaning two) layer. Lipids are fats and they are hydrophobic. This lipid bilayer can help fight osmosis (the natural process of water trying to balance itself between the inside and outside of the cell) so that the cell doesn't get filled with water and break or get its water sucked out so that it collapses upon itself. It also can help keep other objects outside of the cell.

Also, fats are stored because they can be used to burn energy. There are simple sugars and complex sugars. Fat is one type of fuel for the body.

Answer 2

Lipid: Fat-soluble," an operational term describing a solubility characteristic, not a chemical substance, i.e., denoting substances extracted from animal or vegetable cells by nonpolar solvents; included in the heterogeneous collection of materials thus extractable are fatty acids, glycerides and glyceryl ethers, phospholipids, sphingolipids, long-chain alcohols and waxes, terpenes, steroids, and "fat-soluble" vitamins such as A, D, and E.

This information was taken from www.webmd.com

To find out what lipids do please see this website: http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/biol115/Wyatt/Biochem/Lipid/lipid1.htm

Answer 3

1) Fat/lipids are needed to absorb and utilize fat soluble vitamins, specifically vitamins A, S, E, K.

2) Fat/lipids provides a protective cushioning layer around important internal organs. Obviously too much is not a good thing but without the cushioning affect that fat provides your internal organs are very susceptible to impact damage

3) Fat/lipids are used as the body's back up energy store. When carbohydrates (in all forms) are exhausted your body will use the energy it has previously stored as fat. Without this back up energy store, if carbohydrate energy sources were depleted, you would immediately start to burn stored protein e.g muscle

4) Fat/lipids are needed for normal hormonal functions throughout the body.

Answer 4

Lipase is an enzyme that the body uses to break down fats in food so they can be absorbed in the intestines. Lipase is primarily produced in the pancreas but is also in the mouth and stomach. Most people produce enough pancreatic lipase, but people with cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease may not have enough lipase to get the nutrition they need from their food.

Answer 5

Most lipids are stored in primary fat cells in the body. Excessive lipid storage can inhibit or compromise cell function.