Human body require stores of energy and mechanisms to accumulate and release these stores in the short and long term. Fat, here taken to be triacylglyceride, is quantitatively the most important form of stored energy and is found in adipose tissue (AT).
Adipose tissue makes up a significant part of human bodies. Adipose tissue can also be found surrounding organs such as the liver, pancreas, kidneys and the heart, to some degree. It is also found in muscles and other areas of the body including part of the orbital cavities.
In chemistry, fat is a compound formed from chemicals called fatty acids. Fats are greasy, solid materials found in animal tissues and in some plants.
For most part, human did not require fat sources in their diets because the body can synthesize most of the fatty acids it needs from other constituents, including carbohydrate and protein.
Essential fat is that in bone marrow, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines, muscles and lipid-rich tissue of the central nervous system with roles other than energy storage.
Saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are synthesized in the body for energetic, physiological, and structural functions, and they are present in many foods. The brain needs saturated fats, polyunsaturated fat, cholesterol, and a number of other fats.
Fats are also a component of cell membranes, vitamin D and sex hormones. Men have a central pattern of deposition, mainly on the trunk and abdomen. In women deposition is, characteristically, on the buttocks and thighs.
Some types of fats give cell membranes flexibility and help regulate the transfer of nutrients into and out of cells. While others serve as precursors to vitamin D and sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone.
Roles of fat in human body
