What are Lipids: Health Diseases Solution Fats and lipids are common components of food and may perform essential roles. Their types may be more important with regard to health and disease than their amount. Noncommunicable diseases related to dietary lipid are further prevalent in developing countries. Lipids include essential, nonessential, saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, phospholipids, lipids as second messenger, and synthetic technology of several fats in the body, and its transport. Lipids play diverse roles in the normal functioning of the body: Lipids are also biomarkers of disease and are involved in several pathological conditions. Lipids are also known to play a role in genetic modification and inuence risk of chronic disease. DIETARY LIPIDS Some of the fatty acids need to be taken in diet. This includes essential fatty acids (EFAs),linoleic acid (LA, an omega-6 fatty acid, 18:2n-6), and a-linolenic acid (LNA, an omega- 3 fatty acid, 18:3n-3). These help in formation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) used in cellular structures and as precursors for the biosynthesis of many of the body’s regulatory molecules like long-chain PUFAs, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and eicosanoids. DHA again is necessary for normal neural and retinal development in the infant and young child. PUFA in diet has been found to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers. In addition, n- 3 fatty acids are known to lessen the severity and minimize symptoms of chronic inammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inammatory bowel disease, and may even benet in correcting psychological disorders. PUFA is present in three forms in food. These are LNA in vegetables, oilseeds, and nuts, and EPA and DHA in cold water shes and algae. DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH LIPIDS Fats in diet play a role in chronic diseases. Up to 70% of all cancers in the United States are attributable to diet for example. A lot of people develops a diet-related chronic disease responsible for the leading causes of death like heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis. High fat, especially trans fats and unsaturated fats lead to heart disease, degenerative and inammatory arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity, cancer etc..