Positional distribution of fatty acids in dietary triglycerides: effects on fasting blood lipoprotein concentrations in humans

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 48 - 55
• Main Authors: Zock, PL, de Vries, JH, de Fouw, NJ, Katan, MB
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.01.1995; American Society for Clinical Nutrition; American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Afdeling Humane voeding; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - blood; Cross-Over Studies; Diet; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Fasting; Fatty Acids - pharmacology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human Nutrition; Human Nutrition & Health; Human Nutrition (HNE); Humane Voeding; Humane Voeding & Gezondheid; Humans; Lipids. Glycolipids; Male; Metabolisms and neurohumoral controls; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Palm Oil; Plant Oils - pharmacology; Stereoisomerism; Triglycerides - administration & dosage; Triglycerides - blood; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; VLAG; Human; Lipemia; Molecular structure; Chemical structure; Fat; Lipids; Stereospecificity; Lipoprotein; Metabolism; Triglyceride; Fatty acids
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/61.1.48

We examined the effect of the positional distribution of fatty acids within dietary triglycerides on serum lipoproteins. Sixty subjects consumed two diets of equal fatty acid composition for 3 wk each. In the palm oil diet 82% of palmitic acid was attached to the outer two carbon atoms of glycerol, and 18% to the middle carbon. In the diet rich in enzymatically modified palm oil these figures were 35% and 65%, respectively. On the modified-fat diet, average lipoprotein concentrations showed nonsignificant (P > 0.13) increases of 0.06 mmol/L for total, 0.03 mmol/L for HDL, and 0.04 mmol/L for LDL cholesterol compared with palm oil. The small increases in total and LDL cholesterol were statistically significant in the men (n = 23) but not in the women (n = 37). The ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride concentrations were unchanged. Thus, a large difference in dietary fatty acid configuration had little effect on lipoprotein concentrations in humans.