KNOW YOUR FATS

70

Lipoproteins
Fat, cholesterol, and other fat-soluble molecules are not water-soluble
so they need special carriers that allow them to be transported through
the body in the bloodstream because the bloodstream is a water-based
fluid. The lipoproteins act as the carriers because they have a watersoluble exterior and a fat-soluble core (interior).
There are a number of classes of lipoproteins, and they are
categorized on the basis of their density. Figure 2.10 presents a
chemical content description of the common lipoproteins and their
density characteristics. The commonly measured and/or evaluated
serum lipoproteins include chylomicrons, very low-density lipoproteins
(VLDL), low-density lipoprotein(LDL), intermediate density
lipoproteins (IDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Attention has
also been given to lipoprotein [a], so-called "lipoprotein little a" (see
General Glossary for more details on the individual lipoproteins).
Lipoprotein Classes
Chylo- VLDL
microns
Total protein %
Total lipid%
Phospholipids %
Cholesterol
Esterified %
Unesterified %
Triglycerides %
Density (g/ml)
Particle diameter (A)

1-3

IDL

LDL

HDL

1.5-2.5 5-10 15-20

97-99 0-95 80-85
7-9 15-20 22

20-25 40-55
75 - 80 50-55
15-20 20-35

3-5 10-15
5-10
8
84-89 50-65

35-40
3-4
7-10

<0.95

22
7-10
30

12
3

1.006- 1.019- 1.0630.951.006 1.019 1.063 1.210

103-104 250-750 250
200-280 50-130

F i g u r e 2.10 Characteristics o f L i p o p r o t e i n s

Lets Get Physical with Fats

71

Fat for Emulsification

Special kinds of fats (lipids) called bile acids are needed for the
emulsification of food fats and oils. The bile acids (also called bile salts)
are made from cholesterol in the liver, they are stored in the gallbladder,
and they are used by the body to aid in the digestion and absorption of
fafe 1o i l s f b p ^ n f f ^ f - f i n l i i b l p v i t a m i n s s n r b pis v i t a m i n s

A, D, E, and K.
Other kinds of fat that the body uses for emulsification include
the monoglycerides and the diglycerides formed from phospholipids or
triglycerides. There are many activities in the cells that use the monoglycerides and the diglycerides as intermediates in physiologically
important reactions.
Phospholipids such as lecithin act as emulsifiers. Lecithin is a
major lipid component in egg yolk. Most commercial lecithin today is
extracted from soybeans during oil processing.

Fat as Carriers of Fatsoluble Vitamins and Other Fat-soluble

Nutrients

A most important role played by fat involves transport of some of the

vitamins and fat soluble phytochemicals such as carotenoids. Without
enough fat in our foods, the fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D,
E and K are not efficiently absorbed. In fact, a low-fat diet can very
easily become a vitamin-deficient diet, in part because these vitamins are
only found in the fatty (or oily) part of food. Since it is now recognized
that the fat soluble vitamins play important roles as antioxidants, a
situation that encourages their loss would be undesirable.
Vitamin A is a very important fat soluble vitamin. It is critical for
many functions, including successful reproduction, normal cell division,
vision (especially night vision), function of the immune system, bone
remodeling, the formation of enamel on teeth during their development
in childhood, and skin health. It is referred to an anti-infective vitamin
in the Merck Index.
Vitamin A was first recognized in butter and egg yolk when these
foods were found to correct an experimental deficiency in laboratory
animals. True vitamin A occurs only in foods of animal origin and
requires fat for absorption. The best sources are liver and other meats,
cod liver oil, egg yolks, butter and cheese from grass-fed cows, and

72

KNOW YOUR FATS

fortified dairy products. Green and yellow fruits and vegetables contain
P-carotene, some of which is converted to vitamin A in well-fed healthy
adults whose diets include adequate animal fats.
Vitamin D is both a fat soluble vitamin and a hormone. Vitamin
D can be made in the body through a series of steps starting in the skin
when it is exposed to adequate sunlight. The form of vitamin D made in
the skin from cholesterol (see discussion above ontissuecholesterol) is
further changed to another form in the liver and then to the final active
form in the kidney.
Natural vitamin D is not widely available in food and is mainly
found in egg yolks, cod liver oil, pork liver sausage and other liver, fatty
fish, butter, fortified milk, and other fortified foods. Milk is usually
fortified with vitamin D3, known as cholecalciferol, and other foods such
as margarine are usually fortified with ergocalciferol, the irradiated yeast
(plant) form known also as vitamin D2. Some questions have been raised
about the safety of large amounts of D2.
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that was first identified in the
early 1920s by researchers studying experimental diets being given to
rats. One of the diets did not support reproduction in these rats. At the
time the missing substance was not known as other vitamins were ruled
out. The newly recognized necessary nutrient was called vitamin E, and
it was found in many natural foods but not in the synthetic diet mixes.
Because it was necessary for supporting reproduction, it was given the
technical name tocopherol from the Greek words descriptive of
something supporting childbirth together with the suffix "ol" that
described the chemical as an alcohol. During the next half a century,
vitamin E was further identified as an important antioxidant. By the end
of the 1990s, vitamin E was recognized as important for maintaining
cardiovascular health.
Sources of vitamin E include unrefined vegetable oils, green leafy
vegetables, wheat germ, whole-grain products, liver, egg yolks, nuts, and
seeds. Vitamin E supplements are sold as both the natural d-alpha and
mixed tocopherols and the synthetic d,/-alpha tocopherols. The latter are
not the same as the natural vitamin E, and final determination of
effectiveness has not been made.
Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin necessary for proper blood
clotting, and it too was discovered when certain experimental diets