lipid /lip″id, lī″pid/ [Gk, lipos, fat, eidos, form] , any of a structurally diverse group of organic compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether, and other solvents. Some lipids are stored in the body and serve as an energy reserve but are elevated in various diseases such as atherosclerosis. The normal concentrations of lipids in serum are total, 400 to 800 mg/dL; cholesterol, 150 to 250 mg/dL; fatty acids, 9 to 15 mM/L; phospholipids, 150 to 380 mg/dL; phospholipid as phosphorus, 9 to 16 mg/dL; and triglycerides, 10 to 190 mg/dL. Kinds include cholesterol, fatty acid, phospholipid, triglyceride.
