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News tagged with fat

Today's fear and loathing of fat bodies rooted in ancient Western civilization

Our modern love-hate relationship with fat dates to antiquity, says a University of Kansas researcher who writes about the cultural history of fat in Western civilization.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

A protein that regulates fat cell production and cell division

Swiss scientists have teased out the role that a protein known as SMRT plays in regulating the production of fat cells. And in the process, they made another, unexpected discovery; this protein also plays ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Apr 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study shows soy protein alleviates symptoms of fatty liver disease

University of Illinois researchers report this week that new research shows how soy protein could significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese patients by partially restoring the function ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Apr 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Scientists discover new fat over lunch

Uncovering new fats, or lipids, with links to diseases in the human lens is as easy as taking a lunch break, according to chemists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at the University ...

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Apr 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation

(PhysOrg.com) -- A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Apr 04, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Planting the seeds for heart-healthier fries and other foods

With spring planting season on the horizon, scientists are planting the seeds of healthier oils for cooking French fries, fried chicken and other fried items prepared in restaurants and other settings in the foodservice industry. ...

Chemistry / Other

created Mar 14, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Blood on the menu: New research could make it easier to grow health-promoting blood oranges

For the red pigmentation to develop, blood oranges normally require a period of cold as they ripen. The only place to reliably grow them on a commercial scale is in the Sicilian area of Italy around Mount ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Mar 13, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Without second wave of brown fat, young mice can't live without mama

For all those who have wondered where they'd be without their mothers, a study reported in the February Cell Metabolism puts a whole new spin on the question. Mice whose mothers pass along a mutant copy of a single imprin ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Why bats, rats and cats store different amounts of fat

Animals differ in the amount of fat they carry around depending on their species, status and sex. However, the causes of much of this variation have been a mystery. The Bristol study shows that many differences can be understood ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 20, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

How dogs can walk on ice without freezing their paws

Scientists in Japan have solved a long-standing veterinary mystery: how dogs can stand and walk for so long on snow and ice without apparent discomfort, and without freezing their paws.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 13, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (34) | comments 39 | with audio podcast report

New evidence that bacteria in large intestine have a role in obesity

Bacteria living in people's large intestine may slow down the activity of the "good" kind of fat tissue, a special fat that quickly burns calories and may help prevent obesity, scientists are reporting in ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

The secret of the best foie gras

Defying common sense, ducks that plump up less produce the finest foie gras — that rich, buttery French delicacy made from goose or duck livers and sometimes eaten as slices atop lightly toasted bread — scientists ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Reduced bone density, stunted growth in turtles exposed to common chemical

Manufactured until 1977, and banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, pentachlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are chemicals still commonly found in the environment because they break down slowly. Now, a ...

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Knocking out key protein in mice boosts insulin sensitivity

By knocking out a key regulatory protein, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland dramatically boosted ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 10, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Polar bears ill from accumulated environmental toxins

New doctoral thesis documents that industrial chemicals are transported from the industrialized world to the Arctic via air and sea currents. Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea's food chains ...

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 13, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at normal room temperature, depending on their structure and composition. Although the words "oils", "fats", and "lipids" are all used to refer to fats, "oils" is usually used to refer to fats that are liquids at normal room temperature, while "fats" is usually used to refer to fats that are solids at normal room temperature. "Lipids" is used to refer to both liquid and solid fats, along with other related substances. The word "oil" is used for any substance that does not mix with water and has a greasy feel, such as petroleum (or crude oil) and heating oil, regardless of its chemical structure.

Fats form a category of lipid, distinguished from other lipids by their chemical structure and physical properties. This category of molecules is important for many forms of life, serving both structural and metabolic functions. They are an important part of the diet of most heterotrophs (including humans). Fats or lipids are broken down in the body by enzymes called lipases produced in the pancreas.

Examples of edible animal fats are lard (pig fat), fish oil, and butter or ghee. They are obtained from fats in the milk, meat and under the skin of the animal. Examples of edible plant fats are peanut, soya bean, sunflower, sesame, coconut, olive, and vegetable oils. Margarine and vegetable shortening, which can be derived from the above oils, are used mainly for baking. These examples of fats can be categorized into saturated fats and unsaturated fats.

For more information about Fat, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.