279 Virgin Olive Oil Benefits acids, particularly lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids, on blood lipids and lipoproteins are difficult to interpret. Based on current evidence regarding coronary heart disease endpoints, there is insufficient data to favour one specific saturated fatty acid over another. Very few recommendations from international organisations distinguish between the different types of saturated fatty acids, mainly because their primary dietary sources are largely the same.” Controversial findings are often difficult to interpret, and it must also be considered that a substance that is beneficial to the body in some respects may be harmful in others. • UNSATURATED LIPID/S or UNSATURATED FAT/S; UNSATURATED; UNSATURATION/S; (similar terms) (similar terms referring to the same concept) (To understand general nomenclature and structural principles of fatty acids, see “Fatty acids” in “CONCEPTS”, the first section of this topic (“LIPIDS”). In the case of unsaturated fatty acids, they are described in the following entries.) They are lipids that contain one or more fatty acids with one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms (-C=C-) in their hydrocarbon chains (-C=C-); that is, one or more unsaturations. The number of carbon atoms in the chain may vary, and can be as many as 24. When there is only one double bond, the fatty acid is classified as monounsaturated; when there are two or more, it is called polyunsaturated. To classify the different series or families of these lipids, the position of the first double bond in the unsaturated fatty acid chain is used. The count starts from the terminal methyl group (CH₃), which is designated either by the Greek letter omega (ω) or the letter “n”. For example, linoleic acid has 18 carbon atoms and two double bonds, the first of which is located at carbon number 6 from the ω carbon (CH₃). It is therefore an omega-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid. Another example, this time from the omega-3 (ω-3) family, is alpha-linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid ω-3: linoleic acid (C18H32O2) (C18:2 ω-6) carbon 6 6 carbon ω alpha-linolenic acid (C18H30O2) (C18:3 ω-3) 3 1 H H H H t H H H H H H H H H H H ♦ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ,o Hc-c-c-c-c-c=c-c-c=c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c 3 I I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 'oH H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ,o Hc-c-c=c-c-c=c-c-c=c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 'oH H H H H H H H H H H
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