Known primarily as the beneficial component of fish oil, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) come in different varieties and sources.  I don’t know about the stuffed shirts, but I like to say “poof-a.”  I will probably work poof-a into conversation a number of times this week.  Anywho, the PUFAs we call omega-3 have shown a lot of promise for neuroprotection, which we will look at in future articles.  Here and now, we try to better understand something we’ve been hearing about for years.

Let’s Talk About Fat

Triglycerides.  Our body fat is made of triglycerides.  Triglycerides are also found floating in our blood.  Triglycerides are made from a backbone of glycerol (also called glycerin) and 3 to 4 fatty acids.  Glycerol is a colorless, odorless, sweet, and non-toxic liquid.  Fatty acids are where all the variety comes in.

Fatty acids are usually 16, 18, or 20 carbon atoms long and most importantly fatty acids are either saturated or unsaturated.

Saturated.  Imagine 16 people (carbon atoms really) holding hands as a chain.  Each person is touching the person next to them only once (hand in hand).  Each person in this chain is […]