Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

260 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
Figure 5.6. The chemical structure of a triglyceride, showing the glycerol backbone and three
attached fatty acids.
Figure 5.7. The structure of a triglyceride is often depicted as a simplified drawing of the glycerol
backbone and three fatty acids.
There are different types of fatty acids, and triglycerides can contain a mixture of them.
Fatty acids are classified by their carbon chain length and degree of saturation. Foods
contain different proportions of fatty acid types, and this influences disease risks associated
with dietary patterns. We will take a closer look at these differences, along with food sources,
in the next section.
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
Phospholipids are found in both plants and animals but make up only about 2 percent
of dietary lipids. However, they play many important roles in the body and in foods.