How Your Body Processes Triglycerides
Triglycerides are lipids or fats and therefore, they do not dissolve in water. This makes it difficult for the triglycerides to be directly absorbed in body. When you eat food that contains fat in form of triglycerides, it goes to the stomach and intestines. In the intestines, large fat droplets mix with bile salts released from the gall bladder. Bile salts are manufactured in the liver and stored in gall bladder.
The process where large fat droplets mix with bile salts is called emulsification. This process breaks the large molecules of triglycerides into small droplets known as micelles thus increasing the surface area of the fats. An enzyme called lipase, which is secreted by pancreas, attacks the surface of the micelle, breaking the fat into glycerol and fatty acids. These parts are then absorbed through the cells of the intestine wall lining.
Once they get into the intestinal lining wall cells, the glycerol and fatty acids parts are reassembled and packaged into fat molecules with a protein coating that is known as chylomicrons. The chylomicron protein coating allows the fats to easily dissolve in water. Initially the chylomicrons are released into the lymph system rather than directly going to the bloodstream. This is because they are quite big to pass through walls of capillaries.
Later on, the lymphatic system joins or merges with the veins and it is at this point, where chylomicrons get into the bloodstream. Therefore, the main reason why triglycerides are first broken into their parts (glycerol and fatty acids) only to be rebuilt again is because the fat molecules are pretty big and cannot cross the cell membranes. This means that before the fats pass through the intestinal wall cells, the lymph, and any other cell barriers; they must be broken down first.
When the fat is broken down and packaged into chylomicrons, it enters the bloodstream through the lymphatic system. However, chylomicrons cannot last for long while in the bloodstream since they are broken down into fatty acids by enzymes called lipoprotein lipases, which are found in blood vessel walls within the muscle and fat tissues, as well as heart muscle. In the blood, fatty acids are absorbed into fat cells, liver cells, and muscle cells.
Under stimulation by insulin, these fatty acids are converted to fat molecules and then stored as fat droplets. Although the body can convert carbohydrates and proteins (glucose and amino acids) into fat, it takes more energy to do so. Therefore, the body finds it easier and more efficient to simply store fat in fat cells.
The process where large fat droplets mix with bile salts is called emulsification. This process breaks the large molecules of triglycerides into small droplets known as micelles thus increasing the surface area of the fats. An enzyme called lipase, which is secreted by pancreas, attacks the surface of the micelle, breaking the fat into glycerol and fatty acids. These parts are then absorbed through the cells of the intestine wall lining.
Once they get into the intestinal lining wall cells, the glycerol and fatty acids parts are reassembled and packaged into fat molecules with a protein coating that is known as chylomicrons. The chylomicron protein coating allows the fats to easily dissolve in water. Initially the chylomicrons are released into the lymph system rather than directly going to the bloodstream. This is because they are quite big to pass through walls of capillaries.
Later on, the lymphatic system joins or merges with the veins and it is at this point, where chylomicrons get into the bloodstream. Therefore, the main reason why triglycerides are first broken into their parts (glycerol and fatty acids) only to be rebuilt again is because the fat molecules are pretty big and cannot cross the cell membranes. This means that before the fats pass through the intestinal wall cells, the lymph, and any other cell barriers; they must be broken down first.
When the fat is broken down and packaged into chylomicrons, it enters the bloodstream through the lymphatic system. However, chylomicrons cannot last for long while in the bloodstream since they are broken down into fatty acids by enzymes called lipoprotein lipases, which are found in blood vessel walls within the muscle and fat tissues, as well as heart muscle. In the blood, fatty acids are absorbed into fat cells, liver cells, and muscle cells.
Under stimulation by insulin, these fatty acids are converted to fat molecules and then stored as fat droplets. Although the body can convert carbohydrates and proteins (glucose and amino acids) into fat, it takes more energy to do so. Therefore, the body finds it easier and more efficient to simply store fat in fat cells.
Comments
Post a Comment