Palmitic acid fatty acid benefit and side effects, uses

Palmitic acid is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. Palmitic acid is a major component of the oil from palm trees (palm oil and palm kernel oil). Butter, cheese, milk and meat also contain palmitic acid. See also stearic acid.

Palmitic acid is also called hexadecanoic acid and is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. As its name tells us, it is found in palm oil but also in butter, cheese, milk and meat.

Palmitic acid effect on liver
Differential effect of oleic and palmitic acid on lipid accumulation and apoptosis in cultured hepatocytes.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009. Ricchi M, Odoardi MR, Carulli L, Anzivino C, Ballestri S, Pinetti A, Banni S, Lonardo A, Carulli N, Loria P. Dipartimento Integrato di Medicina Interna, Endocrinologia, Metabolismo & Geriatria - Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Studies have shown monounsaturated oleic acid to be less toxic than palmitic acid and to prevent / attenuate palmitic acid hepatocites toxicity in steatosis models in vitro. However, to what degree these effects are mediated by steatosis extent is unknown. We evaluated whether steatosis per se is associated with hepatocytes apoptosis and determined the role of oleic and palmitic acid, the most abundant fatty acids in western diets, on triglyceride accumulation and apoptosis in an in vitro model of steatosis induced in three hepatocytic cell lines. The impact of incubation for 24 h with oleic and palmitic acid, alone or combined on steatosis, apoptosis, and insulin signalling, was evaluated. Steatosis extent was larger when cells were treated with oleic than with palmitic acid; the latter fatty acid was associated with increased PPARalpha expression. Cell apoptosis was inversely proportional to steatosis deposition. Moreover, palmitic, but not oleic acid, impaired insulin signalling. Despite the higher amount of fat resulting from incubation of the two fatty acids combined, the apoptosis rate and impaired insulin signalling were lower than in cells treated with palmitic acid alone, indicating a protective effect of oleic acid. Oleic acid is more steatogenic but less apoptotic than palmitic acid in hepatocityc cell cultures. These data may provide a biological basis for clinical findings on dietary patterns and pathogenetic models of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef.
Nutr J. 2010.
Growing consumer interest in grass-fed beef products has raised a number of questions with regard to the perceived differences in nutritional quality between grass-fed and grain-fed cattle. Research spanning three decades suggests that grass-based diets can significantly improve the fatty acid (FA) composition and antioxidant content of beef, albeit with variable impacts on overall palatability. Grass-based diets have been shown to enhance total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (C18:2) isomers, trans vaccenic acid (TVA) (C18:1 t11), a precursor to CLA, and omega-3 (n-3) FAs on a g/g fat basis. While the overall concentration of total SFAs is not different between feeding regimens, grass-finished beef tends toward a higher proportion of cholesterol neutral stearic FA (C18:0), and less cholesterol-elevating SFAs such as myristic (C14:0) and palmitic acid (C16:0) fatty acids. Several studies suggest that grass-based diets elevate precursors for Vitamin A and E, as well as cancer fighting antioxidants such as glutathione (GT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as compared to grain-fed contemporaries. Fat conscious consumers will also prefer the overall lower fat content of a grass-fed beef product. However, consumers should be aware that the differences in FA content will also give grass-fed beef a distinct grass flavor and unique cooking qualities that should be considered when making the transition from grain-fed beef. In addition, the fat from grass-finished beef may have a yellowish appearance from the elevated carotenoid content (precursor to Vitamin A). It is also noted that grain-fed beef consumers may achieve similar intakes of both n-3 and CLA through the consumption of higher fat grain-fed portions.

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