In chemistry, and especially in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long aliphatic tail (chain), which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from triglycerides or phospholipids. When they are not attached to other molecules, they are known as "free" fatty acids. Fatty acids are important sources of fuel because, when metabolized, they yield large quantities of ATP. Many cell types can use either glucose or fatty acids for this purpose. In particular, heart and skeletal muscle prefer fatty acids. The brain cannot use fatty acids as a source of fuel; it relies on glucose or ketone bodies.
Read more about Fatty Acid: Types of Fatty Acids, Nomenclature, Production, Fatty Acids in Dietary Fats, Reactions of Fatty Acids
Other articles related to "fatty, fatty acids, fatty acid, acid":
... In enzymology, a methylene-fatty-acyl-phospholipid synthase (EC 2.1.1.16) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction S-adenosyl-L-methionine ...
... The Long chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase enzyme is a member of the ligase family that activates the breakdown of complex fatty acids ... Long chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase plays a crucial role in intermediary metabolism by catalyzing the formation of fatty acyl-CoA by a two-step process proceeding through an adenylated ... It catalyzes the pre-step reaction for β-oxidation of fatty acids or can be incorporated in phospholipids ...
... Essential fatty acid levels Several studies published between 1990 and 2005 reported finding reduced levels of Omega-6 or Omega-3 essential fatty acids in cell membranes or serum in patients diagnosed with post-viral. 1999 on Oxford-criteria-defined CFS patients (Warren et al.) found no significant differences in fatty acid levels between treatment and placebo groups ... A review of CFS treatments compared two studies of essential fatty acids, concluding that there is insufficient evidence to recommend it as a treatment for CFS ...
... Other names in common use include Delta6-desaturase, Delta6-fatty acyl-CoA desaturase, Delta6-acyl CoA desaturase, fatty acid Delta6-desaturase, fatty acid 6-d ... This enzyme participates in linoleic acid metabolism ...
... Blood fatty acids are in different forms in different stages in the blood circulation ... In addition, when released from adipocytes, fatty acids exist in the blood as free fatty acids ... It is proposed that the blend of fatty acids exuded by mammalian skin, together with lactic acid and pyruvic acid, is distinctive and enables animals with a keen sense of smell to differentiate individuals ...