They are fatty acids that the body cannot make from other biochemicals in the body. The two essential fatty acids are linoleic acid and acid. They must be present in the diet α-linoleic in order for the body to make other fatty acids it needs from those two. Why is the dietary ratio of linoleic acid to acid important? α-linoleic The same enzymes are used to convert two compounds into other fatty acids. If there is too much linoleic acid in the diet then there are insufficient enzymes available to convert acid. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a linoleic acid: acid α-linoleic ratio of 10:1, but in the diet of many Americans the actual ratio is greater than that. The article describes ways of mitigating the dietary imbalance between linoleic acid and acid. What are they? α-linoleic The simplest way to deal with the linoleic acid to acid imbalance would be to α-linoleic reduce consumption of food that contains linoleic acid. That’s difficult because so many foods contain the acid. The second way would be consume more food or food supplements that contain acid, such as flax seed. The third way described is to eat more food that contains the two main chemical intermediates that are produced from linoleic acid and acid, and which then are α-linoleic converted to other important compounds in the body. These two intermediates are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish are good sources of these two compounds. Anticipation Guide Anticipation guides help engage students by activating knowledge and stimulating student interest before reading. If class time permits, discuss students’ responses to each statement before reading each article. As they read, students should look for evidence supporting or refuting their initial responses. Directions: in the first column, write or indicating your agreement or Before reading, “A” “D,” disagreement with each statement. As you read, compare your opinions with information from the article. In the space under each statement, cite information from the article that supports or refutes your original ideas. Me Text Statement Fatty acids have long hydrocarbon tails. Fats are composed of triglycerides, but oils are not. Saturated fats have only single bonds in the side chain.
They are fatty acids that the body cannot make from other biochemicals in the body. The two essential fatty acids are linoleic acid and α-linoleic acid. They must be present in the diet in order for the body to make other fatty acids it needs from those two. Why is the dietary ratio of linoleic acid to α-linoleic acid important? The same enzymes are used to convert two compounds into other fatty acids. If there is too much linoleic acid in the diet then there are insufficient enzymes available to convert acid. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a linoleic acid: α-linoleic acid ratio of 10:1, but in the diet of many Americans the actual ratio is greater than that. The article describes ways of mitigating the dietary imbalance between linoleic acid and α-linoleic acid. What are they? The simplest way to deal with the linoleic acid to α-linoleic acid imbalance would be to reduce consumption of food that contains linoleic acid. That’s difficult because so many foods contain the acid. The second way would be consume more food or food supplements that contain acid, such as flax seed. The third way described is to eat more food that contains the two main chemical intermediates that are produced from linoleic acid and α-linoleic acid, and which then are converted to other important compounds in the body. These two intermediates are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish are good sources of these two compounds. Anticipation Guide Anticipation guides help engage students by activating knowledge and stimulating student interest before reading. If class time permits, discuss students’ responses to each statement before reading each article. As they read, students should look for evidence supporting or refuting their initial responses. Directions: Before reading, in the first column, write “A” or “D,” indicating your agreement or disagreement with each statement. As you read, compare your opinions with information from the article. In the space under each statement, cite information from the article that supports or refutes your original ideas. Me Text Statement Fatty acids have long hydrocarbon tails. Fats are composed of triglycerides, but oils are not. Saturated fats have only single bonds in the side chain.
chemmatters-tg-dec2015-omega3-fatty-acids.docx