Can intra-muscular triglycerides (IMTG) consists out of different fatty acids, and does that have an effect on ATP production and muscle cell health?
I read that palmitic acid can be beta-oxidized into 128 ATP. Would a IMTG be able to consist out of for instance, three saturated fatty acids, or for instance, saturated fatty acids, and unsaturated fatty acids, and would that affect ATP production, and/or effect muscle cell health.
Would you expect different potential ATP levels?
Would an unsaturated fatty acid be more healthier or functional for the muscle cell?
Dear Peter Griepink ,
This is an interesting thought and I think I understand the rationale behind your question.
Unfortunately it is a highly complicated question.
First of all the nice reference to the Purdom et al paper by Carole C Tranchant indicates that the carbohydrates are presumable the dominating factor when it comes to for example muscle performance.
Furthermore it is tricky to isolate the influence of a food substance to one aspect while we all know that so many other aspects are influenced as well. In other words suppose your assumption is right and you can improve muscle performance with saturated fatty acid acyl chains incorporated in the triglycerides what will happen to increased risked for hearth diseases, blood clots and so on.
PS. Yes triglycerides can and often contain a mixture of different fatty acyl chains in terms of length, degree of saturation and so on. All highly influenced by diet as well as by a highly complicated biochemical regulatory system.
Anyway I hope this additional info helps you a bit further.
Rob Keller thanks for your answer.
My question has nothing to do with muscle performance, as of course I know carbohydrates are the important source.
TG can contain different fatty acids, so my questioned related to that.
For instance palmitic acid would give 128 ATP is claimed. So my question was if there could be different fatty acids, and if they will give different ATP outcomes. That would imply that energy is different as some TG could have longer fatty acids than others.
Also I ask if for instance unsaturated fatty acids are more efficient for IMTG's.
So would for instance endurance athletes on unsaturated fatty acids and one group on diet of saturated fatty acids, contain differences in IMTG, and would imply different energy and functional aspects? For instance a longer fatty acids such as omega's could lead to more c-'s and more energy. Perhaps the double bound can also make a difference.
So my idea was more in that direction rather than performance specific.
Maybe you have idea's about that?
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