Abstract
To compare the relative impact of dietary lauric acid (12∶0) and palmitic acid (16∶0) on plasma lipids, two fat-sensitive species, Mongolian gerbils and cebus monkeys, were fed cholesterol-free, purified diets enriched with either 12∶0-rich or 16∶0-rich fats, while all other fatty acids were held constant by selective blending of up to five natural fats or oils. The two gerbil diets (40 en% from fat) allowed for an 8 en% exchange between 12∶0 and 16∶0, and the monkey diets (31 en% from fat) allowed for 6 en% exchange beteen these two fatty acids. Eight gerbils received the diets for eight weeks, and 12 cebus monkeys were fed each diet in a cross-over design for up to 22 wk. Both diets resulted in similar plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations within each species. Additionally, separation of cebus lipoproteins by discontinuous density-gradient ultracentrifugation failed to show any dietary differences in concentration or composition of the three major lipoprotein classes (d<1.019, 1.019–1.055, and 1.055–1.168 g/mL). Thus, in two species sensitive to manipulations in dietary fat while consuming cholesterol-free diets, 16∶0 was not hypercholesterolemic relative to 12∶0.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- HDL:
-
high density lipoprotein
- LDL:
-
low density lipoprotein
References
Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk, Committee on Diet and Health, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council (1989), pp. 159–258, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
Grundy, S.M. (1989) Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Cholesterol Metabolism: Implications for Dietary Recommendations,J. Nutr. 119, 529–534.
Grundy, S.M., and Denke, M.A. (1990) Dietary Influences on Serum Lipids and Lipoproteins,J. Lipid Res. 31, 1149–1172.
Gurr, M.I. (1992) Dietary Lipids and Coronary Heart Disease: Old Evidence, New Perspective,Prog. Lipid Res. 31, 195–244.
Keys, A., Anderson, J.T., and Grande F. (1965) Serum Cholesterol Response to Changes in the Diet. IV. Particular Saturated Fatty Acids in the Diet,Metabolism 14, 776–787.
Hegsted, D.M., McGandy, R.B., Myers, M.L., and Stare, F.J. (1965) Quantitative Effects of Dietary Fat on Serum Cholesterol in Man,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 17, 281–295.
McGandy, R.B., Hegsted, D.M., and Meyers, M.L. (1970) Use of Semisynthetic Fats in Determining the Effects of Specific Dietary Fatty Acids on Serum Lipids in Man,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 23, 1288–1298.
Grundy, S.M. (1994) Influence of Stearic Acid on Cholesterol Metabolism Relative to Other Long-Chain Fatty Acids,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 60, 986S-990S.
Reiser, R., Probstfield, J.L., Silvers, A., Scott, L.W., Shorney, M.L., Wood, R.D., O'Brien, B.C., Gotto, A.M. Jr., and Insull, W. Jr. (1985) Plasma Lipid and Lipoprotein Response of Humans to Beef Fat, Coconut Oil and Safflower Oil,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 42, 190–197.
Bonanome, A., and Grundy, S.M. (1988) Effect of Dietary Stearic Acid on Plasma Cholesterol and Lipoprotein Level,N. Engl. J. Med. 318, 1244–1248.
Kris-Etherton, P.M., Derr, J., Mitchell, D.C., Mustad, V.A., Russell, M.E., McDonnell, E.T., Salabsky, D., and Pearson, T.A. (1993) The Role of Fatty Acid Saturation on Plasma Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Apoproteins. I. Effects of Whole Food Diets High in Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil, Soybean Oil, Dairy Butter and Milk Chocolate on Plasma Lipids of Young Men,Metabolism 42, 121–129.
Woolett, L.A., Spady, D.K., and Dietschy, J.M. (1992) Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids Independently Regulate LDL Receptor Activity and Production Rate,J. Clin. Invest. 89, 1133–1141.
Denke, M.A., and Grundy, S.M. (1992) Comparison of Effects of Lauric Acid and Palmitic Acid on Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 56, 895–898.
Doherty, R.M., and Iacano, J.M. (1992) Dietary Lauric Acid Has Similar Effects on Blood Cholesterol as Palmitic Acid in Natural Diets in Man,FASEB J. 6, A1680.
Schwab, U.S., Niskanen, L.K., Maliranta, H.M., Savolainen, M.J., Kesaniemi, Y.A., and Uusiyupa, M.J. (1995) Lauric and Palmitic Acid-Enriched Diets Have Minimal Impact on Serum Lipid and Lipoprotein Concentrations and Glucose Metabolism in Healthy Young Women,J. Nutr. 125, 466–473.
Lindsey, S., Bennattar, J., Pronczuk, A., and Hayes, K.C. (1990) Dietary Palmitic Acid (16∶0) Enhances HDL Cholesterol and LDL Receptor mRNA in Hamsters,Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 195, 261–269.
Hayes, K.C., Pronczuk, A., Lindsey, S., and Diersen-Schade, D. (1991) Dietary Saturated Fatty Acids (12∶0, 14∶0, 16∶0) Differ in Their Impact on Plasma Cholesterol and Lipoproteins,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 53, 491–498.
Pronczuk, A., Khosla, P., and Hayes, K.C. (1994) Dietary Myristic, Palmitic, and Linoleic Acids Modulate Cholesterolemia in Gerbils,FASEB J. 8, 1191–1200.
Ng, T.K.W., Hayes, K.C., de Witt, G.F., Jegathesan, M., Satgunasingham, N., Ong, A.S., and Tan, D.T.S. (1992) Palmitic Acid and Oleic Acid Exert Similar Effects on Plasma Lipid Profile in Normocholesterolemic Men and Women,J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 11, 383–390.
Sundram, K., Hayes, K.C., and Siru, O.H. (1994) Dietary Palmitic Acid Results in a Lower Serum Cholesterol Than a Lauric-Myristic Acid Comination in Normolipemic Humans,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, 841–846.
Mattson, F.H., and Grundy, S.M. (1985) Comparison of the Effects of Dietary Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Lipoproteins in Man,J. Lipid Res. 26, 194–202.
Rudel, L.L., Haines, J.L., and Sawyer, J.K. (1990) Effect of Plasma Lipoproteins of Monounsaturated, Saturated, and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid of African Green Monkeys,J. Lipid Res. 31, 1873–1882.
Khosla, P., and Hayes, K.C. (1993) Dietary Palmitic Acid Raises LDL Cholesterol Relative to Oleic Acid Only at a High Intake of Cholesterol,Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1210, 13–22.
Hayes, K.C., and Khosla, P. (1992) Dietary Fatty Acid Thresholds and Cholesterolemia,FASEB J. 6, 2600–2607.
Fielding, C.J., Havel, R.J., Todd, K.M., Yeo, K.E., Schloetter, M.C., Weinberg, V., and Frost, P.H. (1995) Effects of Dietary Cholesterol and Fat Saturation on Plasma Lipoprotein in an Ethnically Diverse Population of Healthy Young Men,J. Clin. Invest. 95, 611–618.
Lepag, G., and Roy, C.C. (1986) Direct Transesterification of All Classes of Lipids in a One-Step Reaction,J. Lipid Res. 27, 114–120.
Markwell, M.A.K., Haas, S.M., Bieber, L.L., and Tolbert, N.E. (1978) A Modification of the Lowry Procedure to Simplify Protein Determination in Membrane and Lipoprotein Samples,Anal. Biochem. 87, 206–210.
Chapman, M.J., Goldstein, S., Lagrange, D., and Laplaud, M.P. (1981) A Density Gradient Ultracentrifugal Procedure for the Isolation of the Major Lipoprotein Classes from Human Serum,J. Lipid Res. 22, 339–358.
Goulinet, S., and Chapman, M.J. (1993) Plasma Lipoproteins in Golden Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus): Heterogeneity of apoB- and apoAI-Containing Particles,J. Lipid Res. 34, 943–959.
Hegsted, D.M., and Nicolosi, R.J. (1990) Do Formula Diets Attenuate the Serum Cholesterol Response to Dietary Fats?J. Vas. Med. Biol. 2, 68–73.
Goldberg, M.L., and Enig, M.G. (1993) Palmitic and Lauric Acids and Serum Cholesterol,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 58, 244.
Hayes, K.C. (1993) Fatty Acids and Liquid-Formula Diets in Cholesterol Studies,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 57, 231.
Zock, P.L., and Katan, M.B. (1992) Hydrogenation Alternatives: Effect oftrans Fatty Acids and Stearic Acid Versus Linoleic Acid on Serum Lipid and Lipoproteins in Humans,J. Lipid Res. 33, 399–410.
Kritchevsky, D. (1988) Effect of Triglyceride Structure on Lipid Metabolism,Nutr. Rev. 46, 177–181.
Hayes, K.C. (1995) Saturated Fat and Blood Lipids: New Slant on an Old Story,Can. J. Cardiol. 11, 39G-46G.
Hayes, K.C., Pronczuk, A., and Khosla, P. (1995) A Rationale for Plasma Cholesterol Modulation by Dietary Fatty Acids: Modeling the Human Response in Animals,J. Nutr. Biochem. 6, 188–194.
Dietschy, J.M., Turley, S.D., and Spady, D.K. (1993) Role of the Liver in the Maintenance of Cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein Homeostasis in Different Animal Species, Including Humans,J. Lipid Res. 34, 1637–1659.
Khosla, P., and Hayes, K.C. (1991) Dietary Fat Saturation Rhesus Monkeys Affects LDL Concentrations by Modulating the Independent Production of LDL Apoprotein,Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1083, 46–56.
Khosla, P., and Hayes, K.C. (1992) Comparison Between Dietary Saturated (16∶0) Monounsaturated (18∶1) and Polyunsaturated (18∶2) Fatty Acids on Plasma Lipoprotein Metabolism in Cebus and Rhesus Monkeys Fed Cholesterol-Free Diets,Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 55, 51–62.
Pronczuk, A., Patton, G.M., Stephan, Z.F., and Hayes, K.C. (1991) Species Variation in the Atherogenic Profiles of Monkeys: Relationship Between Dietary Fats, Lipids, and Platelet Aggregation,Lipids 26, 213–222.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Pronczuk, A., Khosla, P., Hajri, T. et al. Plasma lipids are affected similarly by dietary lauric or palmitic acid in gerbils and monkeys. Lipids 30, 1157–1161 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536618
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536618