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Saturated Fatty Acid (SFA)

Fatty acid with no double bonds in its hydrocarbon chain; major dietary sources are animal fat (palmitic, stearic), coconut and palm oils (lauric, myristic, palmitic), and dairy.

Also: SFA, Saturated fat

Replacement of saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) lowers LDL-C and reduces coronary events by ~25% (Hooper meta-analyses). Saturated fatty acids differ in metabolic impact: stearic (18:0) is relatively neutral on LDL-C, palmitic (16:0) raises it, lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) are the strongest LDL-C raisers. Dietary guidelines limit SFA to <10% of calories, though MNHD acknowledges ongoing debate over the strict universality of the limit.

How one textbook covers it

  • Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 4: Lipids and Lipid Metabolites

    Replacement of saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) lowers LDL-C and reduces coronary events by ~25% (Hooper meta-analyses). Saturated fatty acids differ in metabolic impact: stearic (18:0) is relatively neutral on LDL-C, palmitic (16:0) raises it, lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) are the strongest LDL-C raisers. Dietary guidelines limit SFA to <10% of calories, though MNHD acknowledges ongoing debate over the strict universality of the limit.

Related terms

LDL, PUFA, Trans fatty acids