Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

288 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
Figure 5.26. Triglycerides in chylomicrons and VLDL are broken down by lipoprotein lipase so
that fatty acids and glycerol can be used for energy—or stored for later—in cells.
As triglycerides are removed from the chylomicrons, they become smaller. These
chylomicron remnants travel to the liver, where they’re disassembled.
Lipid Transport from the Liver
The contents of chylomicron remnants, as well as other lipids in the liver, are incorporated
into another type of lipoprotein called very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Similar to
chylomicrons, the main job of VLDL is delivering triglycerides to the body’s cells, and
lipoprotein lipase again helps to break down the triglycerides so that they can enter cells
(Figure 5.27).
As triglycerides are removed from VLDL, they get smaller and more dense, because they
now contain relatively more protein compared to triglycerides. They become intermediate-
density lipoproteins (IDL) and eventuallylow-densitylow-density lipoproteins (LDL). The main job of LDL is to
deliver cholesterol to the body’s cells. Cholesterol has many roles around the body, so this