How Are Lipids Metabolised?
There are multiple phases that fats go through in order to be digested and used within the body.
- Lipid Absorption: Short-chain fatty acids are able to be absorbed directly, whereas dietary fats have a harder time with absorption. They need to be broken down before digestive enzymes are able to attack them.
- Fat Emulsification: Once the lipids have been absorbed, they are emulsified, which releases fatty acids.
- Fat Digestion: Once the fats have been emulsified, enzymes released by the pancreas are able to further break down the fats.
- Fat Metabolism: After the fat has been digested, it can be metabolised. This allows for energy generation and the creation of more lipids.
What Regulates the Lipid Metabolism?
The lipid metabolism is regulated by leptin, insulin, and adiponectin. In order to regulate the lipid metabolism, an equal amount of leptin and insulin needs to be released. This amount needs to be in proportion with the size of the adipose mass. However, the amount of adiponectin is released in negative proportion to the adipose mass. Adipose mass is another term used to describe body fat.
Lipid Metabolism Disorders
There are two rare lipid metabolism diseases. These diseases are known as Gaucher disease and Tay-Sachs disease. When you have these diseases, your body does not produce enough enzymes to break down your lipids effectively, or the enzymes within the body do not work successfully to transform lipids into energy. This effect can damage the cells and tissues in your body. Both of these diseases are hereditary, meaning they can be passed down to children genetically. There are genetic tests available that can test your lipid metabolism. The main lipid metabolism disorders consist of LDL-hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipoproteinemia, and low HDL cholesterol. These disorders, if left untreated can have adverse effects on the body.
Contact us at Geneway, to find out more about the lipid metabolism and. We can also offer tests for genes (enzymes) that affect LDL – cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides. whether it is working correctly and effectively.
