POSTPRANDIAL INVESTIGATION ON PLANT AND ANIMAL DERIVED PALMITIC ACID VERSUS OLEIC ACID-RICH HIGH FAT DIETS ON ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION BIOMARKERS IN HEALTHY MEN: A PILOT STUDY

Prolonged postprandial lipemia has been associated with endothelial dysfunction and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.While the effect of dietary fatty acids on postprandial lipemia is well recognised, less is known about their effects on endothelial dysfunction biomarkers.We investigated the effects of palmitic acid rich high-fat diets from either plant (palm olein) or animal (lard) compared with an oleic acid-rich high-fat diet (virgin olive oil) on endothelial dysfunction biomarkers in healthy young men.This pilot study employed a randomised crossover design involving 10 healthy men.Each subject consumed 50 g of test fat incorporated in a diet.The diets were consumed on three different days, with blood samples collected at baseline and hourly over 4 hr post-meal.Plasma concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), E-selectin, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) and Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were analysed.All types of fat consumption were linked with a significant decrease in plasma PAI-1 and sCD40L throughout 4 hr, but did not influence other proinflammatory markers measured during the postprandial state.In conclusion, palmitic acid-rich high-fat diets from different sources had limited effects on endothelial dysfunction biomarkers in the postprandial state, underscoring the need for further investigation in larger cohorts.