Table 2.
Erythrocyte fatty acid profile in 20 healthy men following 21 days on a high saturated or a high unsaturated fat diet
| High SFA (% peak area) | High USFA (% peak area) | |
| SFA profile | ||
| C10:0 Capric acid | nd | nd |
| C12:0 Lauric acid | 0.36 ± 0.22 | 0.39 ± 0.23 |
| C14:0 Myristic acid | 0.54 ± 0.07 | 0.49 ± 0.05*** |
| C15:0 Pentadecanoic acid | 0.20 ± 0.15 | 0.17 ± 0.14 |
| C16:0 Palmitic acid | 26.27 ± 0.97 | 25.26 ± 0.89*** |
| C17:0 Heptadecanoic acid | 0.48 ± 0.12 | 0.50 ± 0.12 |
| C18:0 Stearic acid | 9.67 ± 0.91 | 10.31 ± 0.95** |
| Total SFA | 37.5 | 37.1 |
| MUFA profile | ||
| C16:1n-7 Palmitoleic acid | nd | nd |
| C18:1n-9 Oleic acid | 10.25 ± 0.82 | 10.70 ± 0.88** |
| Total MUFA | 10.3 | 10.7 |
| PUFA profile | ||
| C18:2n-6 Linoleic acid [LA] | 15.25 ± 1.65 | 14.99 ± 1.77 |
| C18:3n-3 α-Linolenic acid [ALA] | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ± 0.2 |
| C20:4n-6 Arachidonic acid [AA] | 10.17 ± 1.01 | 10.6 ± 0.88** |
| C20:5n-3 Eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] | 0.62 ± 0.13 | 0.56 ± 0.24 |
| C22:4n-6 Docosatetraenoic acid | 1.90 ± 0.42 | 1.99 ± 0.58 |
| C22:6n-3 Docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] | 2.77 ± 0.51 | 2.82 ± 0.53 |
| Total PUFA | 27.7 | 31.4 |
SFA, saturated fatty acid; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid. % peak area calculated from fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Minor fractions of fatty acid profiles not shown. Significantly different from high SFA diet: *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, nd, not detectable. Mean ± sd