Question

5. Healthy fats. Phospholipids are major components of the plasma membranes of animal cells. A) Draw the structure of phosphatidylcholine containing two fatty acids: linolenate and arachidonate (see Table 12.1). Which fatty acid is a o-3 fatty acid? B) Do some further reading about the healthy effects of linolenate and arachidonate, referring to reliable Internet sources. Write a short summary (200 words) about these fatty acids.

Answer 1

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B)

Omega – 3 Fatty acid or ?-3 Fatty acids:

1)These are PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) with C=C at the 3^rd C atom from the end of the carbon chain. It can have C=C at other positions also but not at C number less than 3.

2) Three types of omega-3 fatty acids involved in human physiology they are

i)?-linolenic acid (ALA) (found in plant oils),

ii)Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and

iii)Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (both commonly found in marine oil

E.g.