Fatty Acid Oxidation: How Our Body Circulates Energy

The term fatty acid oxidation is used to explain how fatty acids, or simply fat, can be used in our body, and then oxidized within our body to become energy. 

Understanding Fatty Acid Oxidation

Fatty acids can be found in many foods that we eat. The most common fatty acid that is ingested into our bodies is known as triglycerides. This fatty acid can give our bodies twice the amount of energy than protein or carbohydrates can. Triglycerides are the main component of vegetable oil based products and animal fats.  Our intestines are unable to absorb these. Instead, an enzyme known as pancreatic lipase, which resides in the digestive tract, helps to break down these fatty acids along with a substance known as colipase protein.  The two work together and then must become blended with bile salts. 

Once the whole process, known as fatty acid oxidation, is finished they will have entered our blood stream. Once they enter our blood stream, they can help give us energy. This is a simplistic explanation of what fatty acid oxidation is.

Speeding Up the Fatty Acid Oxidation Process

As you may imagine, many people would like to speed up the fatty acid oxidation process within their body.  They would like to do this to gain more energy and to help speed up the absorption of fat in their body. For this reason, many people have turned to taking such vitamin supplements as fish oil and carnitine.

Fish oil is comprised of Omega 3 Fatty Acid and can be found in such foods as fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. Fish oil has been cited to be beneficial towards losing weight, improving heart health, and lowering cholesterol, as well as speeding up one’s metabolism.

Carnitine is an amino acid that can help our body turn fat into energy. It is found within our liver and kidneys, and it’s stored in our muscles, brain, and heart. It helps to transport fatty acids correctly throughout our tissues to begin the fatty acid oxidation process.  Normally, we have the right amount of this amino acid within our body. Yet, infrequently, a medical condition may occur that may limit its amount or its ability to transport the fatty acids as needed.

Eating Proper Foods to Help Our Body Circulate Energy

Overall, speeding up your fatty acid oxidation process, and essentially speeding up the way your body circulates energy, is not necessary a bad idea. You should take a logical approach to doing so, such as eating the proper foods. You can add more foods with Omega 3 Fatty Acids into your diet such as:

• eggs
• fish (esp. salmon)
• walnuts
• flaxseed

This can help you gain energy and speed up your metabolism. It also would be a good idea to:

• lower your intake of fried foods
• learn what your cholesterol level is
• lower cholesterol if necessary

All of these steps can speed up your fatty acid oxidation process and simply help make you healthier.

Related posts:

• Fatty Acid Synthesis: Understanding This Necessary Cycle
• How Unsaturated Fatty Acid Benefits Our Body
• Fatty Acids Metabolism: How Fat Generates Energy
• Omega3 Fatty Acid: Enhance Health With This Necessity
• Trans Fatty Acids: A Bad Fat