: What’s the difference between fat and cholesterol?
In: Biology
Cholesterol and fat are both examples of a type of molecule called a *lipid.* A lipid simply means that it’s soluble in *non-polar solvents* — basically, not water.
Rule 2.
You can find this on Wikipedia.
Fat is quite a generic term. Normally when people say “fat” they mean a “triglyceride”.
A triglyceride is a molecule of glycerol with three long chains of carbon molecules attached to it of varying lengths. In your body, triglycerides are used to store energy.
The bonds between carbon atoms in the long chains store a huge amount of energy, so its an efficient way to store energy, and is why fat is so calorie dense.
Cholesterols are specific fats, that have specific metabolic properties and uses in the body beyond just storing energy
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