Fat is usually introduced as the concentrated fuel — 9 kcal per gram against 4 for carbohydrate and protein. That is true, and it is the smallest part of the story. Lipid builds every membrane you own, insulates every nerve, is the raw material for steroid hormones, and is the only vehicle that gets vitamins A, D, E and K across the gut wall. Explore the jobs, then run the numbers.
Pick a job
Ten jobs of fattap one to begin
Where—
Molecule—
Evidence—
Beyond the 9 kcalEvery one of these jobs is happening right now, in a body that is not eating and not exercising. Tap a tile to see the molecule, the location, and how strong the evidence behind the claim is.
Energy to storehow much reserve fuel we are asking the body to hold
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Triglyceride fraction of adipose tissuethe rest is cell structure and a little water
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Water bound per gram of glycogenglycogen is a hydrated molecule; it drags water with it