Transcript Lizzie Velasquez Lesson

Let’s talk about FAT.
The fat in our food and in our bodies is made from triglyceride
molecules, a type of lipid.
3 Fatty Acid Chains
Glycerol
Joined By Oxygen
Glycerol
Simplified triglyceride molecule:
O
Fatty Acid
O
Fatty Acid
O
Fatty Acid
Glycerol
Just as cells can use glucose for energy, cells can also
use triglycerides. However, triglycerides
are too large to enter cells.
O
Fatty Acid
O
Fatty Acid
O
Fatty Acid
Imagine trying to fit a large table through a small doorway.
What would be a solution? Break it apart, then re-assemble.
Triglycerides must be broken down in order to enter
cells.
Fatty Acid
Glycerol
O
O
H
H
H
O
O
O
O
H
H
H
Fatty Acid
Fatty Acid
The Breakdown of a Triglyceride
ENERGY
A.E.
Endothermic
High A.E.
Requires an enzyme
TIME
Fatty Acid
Glycerol
O
O
H
H
H
O
O
O
O
H
H
H
Fatty Acid
Fatty Acid
What happens if your body doesn’t make lipase?
This woman’s name is Lizzie Velasquez. Since she does not
produce the enzyme lipase, she cannot break down
triglycerides. She eats fatty foods, but the fat never enters
her cells.
Lizzie Velasquez can eat as much fat as she wants –
and never gains weight.
Lizzie does not make lipase due to a mutation in DNA.
R
group
RR
group
group
R
group
R
group
DNA
Amino acids
Protein