What Is Fat? What Is a Fatty Acid?

Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats and oils (also known as lipids). There are many hundreds of individual types, and they are present in all plants, dairy, animals and of course humans. They are critical to life, as all cells require fat to function. They form the membrane around the cells, they can be burned to make energy inside the cell, and have many other critical mechanisms. This database focuses on the ones that matter most in the human diet.