Table 4.
The influence of fatty acids on the cardiovascular system.
| Fatty Acids | The Influence on the Cardiovascular System | Effect of Increasing the Level | Effect of Reducing the Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid (C14:0) | - | ↑ the risk of developing IHD; ↑ total cholesterol concentration [32,39] | |
| Palmitic acid (C16:0) | - | ↑ production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidants; promotes inflammation and the development of CVD [31,32,34,35,36,37] | ↓ LDL, glucose, arterial blood pressure normalizes [30] |
| Stearic acid (C18:0) | ± | not correlate with a higher risk of IHD and MI; induces apoptosis and necrosis of endothelial cells; ↑ the risk of developing IHD [27,44,45,46,47,48] | does not have a significant influence on lipid metabolism [10,41] |
| Palmitoleic acid (C16:1) | ± | ↓ cholesterol and TG concentrations; ↑ HDL cholesterol concentrations [56,57]; ↑ the risk of developing IHD [32] | |
| Oleic acid (C18:1) | ± | can improve the blood lipid profile [65]; ↓ the risk of atherosclerosis [69]; ↑ TG concentrations; ↑ markers of inflammation; ↑ the risk of developing heart failure [36,71] | |
| Linoleic acid (C18:2) | + | ↓ risk developing IHD and death from IHD [140,141]; does not affect the concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers [146,147] | ↑ risk of arterial hypertension [154,155,156] |
| α-Linolenic acid (C18:3) | + | ↓ the risk of death from IHD; ↓ the levels of LDL and total cholesterol; ↑ the levels of HDL [80,81,82]; | ↑ development of IHD [88] |
| γ-Linolenic acid (C18:3) | + | ↓ concentrations of TG, total cholesterol and LDL; ↑ of the HDL concentrations [145]; ↓ development of arterial hypertension [146] | ↑ TG concentrations [144] |
| Arachidonic acid (C20:4) | - | ↑ of biomarkers of inflammation; risk of CVD [132,133,134]; ↑ risk of arterial hypertension [153,154,155,156]; ↑ the risk of atherosclerosis [151,152]; | |
| Eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) | + | can improve the blood lipid profile [90,107]; ↓vascular inflammation; ↓ risk developing of major ischemic events, and death from IHD [91,107] | ↑ risk developing of IHD [124] |
| Docosapentaenoic acid (C22:5) | + | ↓ prevalence of CVD; ↓ developing of congestive heart [119,120] | ↑ developing of plaques enriched with lipids; promote the frequency of unstable plaque formation leading to the development of acute coronary syndrome and MI [121]; ↑ risk developing of IHD [124] |
| Docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6) | + | ↓ concentrations of TG; ↑ the HDL concentrations [109]; ↓ inflammation markers [110,111] | ↑ endothelial dysfunction [112,113]; ↑ risk developing of IHD [124] |
«-»—the adverse effect, «+»—the beneficial effect, «±»—the questionable impact, «↓»—the decrease, «↑»—the increase, IHD—ischemic heart disease, CVD—cardiovascular disease, LDL—low-density lipoproteins, HDL—high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, MI—myocardial infarction, TG—triglyceride.