Dietary Stearic Acid Regulates Mitochondria In Vivo In Humans

[Peat Tong]

Anyone have something to add about the bioavailability of the PUFA vs. SFA of cocoa butter?

Wilfrid:

I read everywhere that palm oil and cocoa butter are a good source of saturated fat which, I think, is true when looking at the fatty acids composition of it, but not when ingested and digested.

Even if palm oil is 50% saturated fat, like pork fat, there is a biological subtlety linked to the distribution of fatty acids in the 1,2 and 3 positions of the glycerol.
The biodisponibility of a fatty acid is maximal when this one is linked to the position 2 of the glycerol.
In Palm oil, like in cocoa butter, the unsaturated fatty acids are in the bioavailable position (position 2) whereas, for example, satured fatty acids occupy that position in lard.
Palm oil has to be considered like an oil which is rich of unsaturated fatty acids, like cocoa butter, and not like a source of saturated fatty acids because, when ingested and after digestion, palm oil’s saturated fatty acids are mostly evacuated via the bowel (the calcium salt of the saturated fatty acids are insoluble and are then excreted) due to their position (1 and 3) of the glycerol and their non-utilisation by the body.

"Differences in the distributions of fatty acids among the positions of the glycerol moiety in triacylglycerols from natural fats and oils were first demonstrated systematically by enzymatic hydrolysis procedures, specifically pancreatic lipase hydrolysis for the analysis of the fatty acids of position sn-2 (regiospecific analysis), before complex stereospecific hydrolysis procedures were developed that permitted the complete positional distributions of the fatty acids to be determined. Because of this historical development of the analytical procedures, there has been a tendency to assume that the composition of fatty acids esterified to the sole secondary hydroxyl group must have greater importance than those of the two primary positions. It is certainly true that the composition of position sn-2 is of great importance when triacylglycerols are consumed and digested by animals, since 2-monoacyl-sn-glycerols are then formed which can be absorbed by the intestines and utilised as such."

Source: http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/lipids/tag1/index.htm
- Brockerhoff H., (1967 – Stereospecific analysis of triglycerides: an alternative method – J. Lipid Research, 8, 167-169.
– IUPAC: International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry.

 

[managing]

How's it going?

Extremely well. Doing it with each meal now. It seems to help my metabolism and energy in every way. I imagine there are three effects 1. displacing/competing with PUFA 2. the known therapeutic effects on liver (see above) 3 substrate for androgens.

 

[rei]

It is a shame food grade stearic acid is so hard to find. Cocoa butter would be good but the amount of oleic acid seems like a downside even if the third largest component palmitic acid would be fairly healthy.

 

[ecstatichamster]

What did Peat tell you @managing

 

[managing]

It is a shame food grade stearic acid is so hard to find. Cocoa butter would be good but the amount of oleic acid seems like a downside even if the third largest component palmitic acid would be fairly healthy.

are you in the US?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050LKJ6Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[managing]

are you in the US?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050LKJ6Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Basically just that if stearic acid (and other androgenic things) make me irritable, to try supplementing magnesium. I am now taking about 300mg of mg glycinate 3xd with meals.

EDIT: This was meant to be a reply to @ecstatichamster

 

[rei]

are you in the US?

Sadly, no. In europe everything is more restricted.

 

[Douglas Ek]

Dietary stearic acid regulates mitochondria in vivo in humans

Abstract
Since modern foods are unnaturally enriched in single metabolites, it is important to understand which metabolites are sensed by the human body and which are not. We previously showed that the fatty acid stearic acid (C18:0) signals via a dedicated pathway to regulate mitofusin activity and thereby mitochondrial morphology and function in cell culture. Whether this pathway is poised to sense changes in dietary intake of C18:0 in humans is not known. We show here that C18:0 ingestion rapidly and robustly causes mitochondrial fusion in people within 3 h after ingestion. C18:0 intake also causes a drop in circulating long-chain acylcarnitines, suggesting increased ftatty acid beta-oxidation in vivo. This work thereby identifies C18:0 as a dietary metabolite that is sensed by our bodies to control our mitochondria. This could explain part of the epidemiological differences between C16:0 and C18:0, whereby C16:0 increases cardiovascular and cancer risk whereas C18:0 decreases both.

Discussion
In this study, we identify stearic acid (C18:0) as a metabolite that is sensed in our diets and regulates human physiology, in particular mitochondrial morphology and function. Intriguingly, our data imply that when we eat, the C18:0 in our food causes our mitochondria to fuse within a few hours of eating. This response is impressively robust: we obtained statistically significant results with only 10 healthy subjects. Unlike C18:0, C16:0 does not have this effect. This could explain part of the difference between C16:0 and C18:0 observed epidemiologically, whereby C16:0 increases the risk for cancer and cardiovascular risk whereas C18:0 reduces both7,11,12,13,14,15: if dietary C18:0 signals the intake of lipids to the human body, to activate a physiological response for lipid handling which includes fatty acid beta-oxidation, whereas C16:0 does not, this would imply that C16:0 ingestion will lead to more fat accumulation in the body than C18:0 ingestion. Fat accumulation, in turn, is a risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and cancer. Hence the balance of C16:0 to C18:0 in our diets may be important. A diet rich in C16:0 could be particularly bad because it provides lipids to the body without activating the mitochondrial response that C18:0 does. We included both healthy subjects and type-2 diabetic patients in our study, however we did not see significant differences in the basal mitochondrial morphology (Fig. 4a) or in the response to C18:0 ingestion in these two groups (Fig. 1). If anything, C18:0 ingestion caused more robust mitochondrial fusion in diabetic patients than in controls. Further work will be necessary to test whether longer-term dietary interventions with C18:0 can affect baseline levels of C18:0 in the serum, and hence mitochondrial morphology and function.

In papau new guinea theres a tree called the karuka tree that has seeda containing 44% palmitic acid. The villagers actually move their villages closer to these trees because they eat so many of the seeds. Cardiovascular disease are very rare in these villages. So i highly doubt that. Science never been right about saturated fats.

 

[Hans]

Digestibility of cocoa butter and corn oil in human subjects: a preliminary study. - PubMed - NCBI
"The percentage of fat excreted was significantly higher (p less than or equal to 0.001) when subjects consumed the cocoa butter (10.8 +/- 3.2%) vs the corn oil (3.5 +/- 1.0%) diet."

Digestibility of cocoa butter from chocolate in humans: a comparison with corn-oil. - PubMed - NCBI
"RESULTS: No differences (P>0.05) were observed in faecal weight (wet or dry), faecal fat nor in defecation frequency between treatments (cocoa butter and corn oil). Cocoa butter at a dose of 30.7 g/d in the form of black chocolate, consumed between two meals, was found to have a similar digestibility to that of corn oil (99 % of corn oil digestibility)."

Effects of fats high in stearic acid on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in men. - PubMed - NCBI
"Fecal excretion of fatty acids, after adjustment for fecal flow, indicated that oleic acid (C18:1) was 99% absorbed, palmitic acid (C16:0) was 96-97% absorbed, and stearic acid was 90-94% absorbed for the three fats containing significant amounts of stearic acid."

 

[ecstatichamster]

Basically just that if stearic acid (and other androgenic things) make me irritable, to try supplementing magnesium. I am now taking about 300mg of mg glycinate 3xd with meals.

EDIT: This was meant to be a reply to @ecstatichamster

Thank you.

 

[BigYellowLemon]

Hydrogenated soy oil, aka soy wax, is 90% tristearine and 10% tripalmitine (with some mixed triglycerides of the two). Absolutely no PUFA or MUFA.

I've looked at the data sheets for vendors selling "stearic acid" and I can't tell whether it's been saponified (turned into free fatty acids like soap), and whether it's simply been fractionated or actually hydrogenated (if fractionated it'll contain some PUFA). Usually it's derived from palm oil.

Soy wax seems like a safer bet. It is a triglyceride like all natural fats but is 90% stearic and 10% palmitic acid.

Don't be scared by the word. If it's been purified correctly it'd be better than cocoa butter.

 

[Hans]

Hydrogenated soy oil, aka soy wax, is 90% tristearine and 10% tripalmitine (with some mixed triglycerides of the two). Absolutely no PUFA or MUFA.

I've looked at the data sheets for vendors selling "stearic acid" and I can't tell whether it's been saponified (turned into free fatty acids like soap), and whether it's simply been fractionated or actually hydrogenated (if fractionated it'll contain some PUFA). Usually it's derived from palm oil.

Soy wax seems like a safer bet. It is a triglyceride like all natural fats but is 90% stearic and 10% palmitic acid.

Don't be scared by the word. If it's been purified correctly it'd be better than cocoa butter.

It's great idea, but I'd just be concerned about the pesticides.

 

[noordinary]

Hydrogenated soy oil, aka soy wax, is 90% tristearine and 10% tripalmitine (with some mixed triglycerides of the two). Absolutely no PUFA or MUFA.

I've looked at the data sheets for vendors selling "stearic acid" and I can't tell whether it's been saponified (turned into free fatty acids like soap), and whether it's simply been fractionated or actually hydrogenated (if fractionated it'll contain some PUFA). Usually it's derived from palm oil.

Soy wax seems like a safer bet. It is a triglyceride like all natural fats but is 90% stearic and 10% palmitic acid.

Don't be scared by the word. If it's been purified correctly it'd be better than cocoa butter.

@BigYellowLemon hydrogenated oils aren't safe because of the introduction of the heavy metals during hydrogenation process (already discussed hydrogenated coconut oil by @Travis ):

1. The Raney Catalyst is ancient, dating back to 1932.⁽¹⁾ To hydrogenate a lipid double=bond, it is first helpful to stabilize the H₂ by adsorbing it onto a metal. Palladium and platinum work the best but are expensive, so nickel is commonly used to hydrogenate the oils. To save the catalytic nickel, it is electroplated onto aluminum particles which are made porous—with an acid—to increase surface area. Hence, Raney particles are mostly nickel and aluminum.

'The Raney catalyst is prepared by alloying equal parts of nickel and aluminum and then dissolving out the latter with aqueous sodium hydroxide.' ―Covert⁽¹⁾​

These Raney particles adsorb hydrogen gas. The hydrogen atoms are then donated to lipid double bonds—saturating them with hydrogen.

2. Nickel in hydrogenated oils is usually stressed, as this is actually somewhat toxic, and is generally found at around one part per million.⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ But for some reason, aluminum isn't looked for as often. But it has been found, of course, since it's always associated with the Raney catalyst.

'This interest derives from the association of trace metals with the origin of oils (soils and fertilizers), metal processing equipment, and catalysts used for hydrogenation; toxicity of edible oils and fats; and the effect of trace metals on the characteristics of finished products, such as color and taste.' ―Farhan⁽⁴⁾​

In hydrogenated oils, aluminum can be found in part per million concentrations:⁽⁴⁾

View attachment 7823

Now this isn't your ionic, one atom aluminum (Al³⁺); these are small micro‐ and nanometer‐sized particles which cannot be chelated by citrate, malate, nor silica, in the body. Some of these particles would be expected to be persorbed, as particles of similar size have been shown to do.⁽⁵⁾

3. Aluminum partitions around nerves because it has a high affinity for phosphate and the microtubule‐associated proteins are highly phosphorylated. This has been detected by a number of ways, and there is certainly no lack of evidence for this.⁽⁶⁾

View attachment 7824

I think it would be fair to say that aluminum has a peculiar affinity for nerves.

4. Aluminum actively crosslinks phosphorylated nerve proteins in vitro more than any other physiological ion. This helps to provide a mechanistic explanation, as it's well‐known to strongly bind phosphoryl groups. The phophoryl groups on proteins are usually bound to the amino aid tyrosine, but also to serine and threonine—basically to any hydroxy amino acid.

This affinity has been shown by gel electrophoresis. The aggregates shift in a gradient as they increase in size and density:⁽⁷⁾

View attachment 7825

Aluminum has been used by the hide tanning industry for this very reason.⁽⁸⁾

5. Aluminum‐crosslinked myelin proteins cause an inflammatory response, which is sometime called an 'autoimmune disease.' This is a misnomer, as the Greek prefix auto denotes that the body is attacking itself. This is only partly true, since the Al³⁺ ion is unnatural and responsible for changing the geometry of the phosphorylated myelin proteins. This is another case of faulty, irresponsible, and perhaps even deceptive semantics used to hide the fact of what's really going on.

Macrophages and killer T cells try to engulf the Al³⁺–protein complexes, and this is the so‐called 'autoimmunity.' Another deceptive, although correct, term is 'misfolded tau:'

'It has been hypothesized that misfolded tau protein could be a mediator of the inflammatory response in human tauopathies. Here we show that neurodegenerative lesions caused by human truncated tau promote inflammatory response manifested by upregulation of immune-molecules (CD11, CD18, CD4, CD45 and CD68) and morphological activation of microglial cells in a rat model of tauopathy. In parallel, the innate immune brain response promotes activation of MHC class II positive blood-borne leukocytes and their influx into the brain parenchyma.' ―Zilka⁽⁸⁾​

The criticism of this term is similar to the criticism made of the 'passive voice,' as the adjective 'misfolded' does not imply attribution. A more accurate description, written in a more active voice, would be a τ‐protein–Al³⁺ complex.

The misfoled tau τ‐protein–Al³⁺ complex attracts leukocytes, or immune cell macrophages which then attempt to engulf this tangle.

6. Nonhydrogenated coconut oil is completely safe because it has no aluminum. Millions of people can testify that neither coconuts, nor its oil, will produce neurodegeneration. And such an idea hasn't even a logical explanation.

[1] Covert, Lloyd W. "Nickel by the Raney Process as a Catalyst of Hydrogenation." Journal of the American Chemical Society (1932)
[2]Nash, A. M. "Determination of ultratrace metals in hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1983)
[3] Anwar, Farooq. "Rapid determination of some trace metals in several oils and fats." Grasas y Aceites (2004)
[4] Farhan, F. M. "Determination of traces of heavy metals in oils and fats by arc spectrography." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1976)
[5] Volkheimer, G."The phenomenon of persorption." Digestion (1968)
[6] Piccardo, P. "Histochemical and X-ray microanalytical localization of aluminum in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia of Guam." Acta neuropathologica (1988)
[7] Scott, Clay W. "Aggregation of tau protein by aluminum." Brain research (1993)
[8] Covington, Anthony D. "Modern tanning chemistry." Chemical Society Reviews 26.2 (1997): 111-126.
[8] Zilka, Norber. "Human misfolded truncated tau protein promotes activation of microglia and leukocyte infiltration..." Journal of neuroimmunology (2009)
[9] Perl, Daniel P. "Intraneuronal aluminum accumulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia of Guam." Science (1982)​

 

[Blossom]

Extremely well. Doing it with each meal now. It seems to help my metabolism and energy in every way. I imagine there are three effects 1. displacing/competing with PUFA 2. the known therapeutic effects on liver (see above) 3 substrate for androgens.

Are you just swallowing a teaspoon straight with each meal?

 

[managing]

Are you just swallowing a teaspoon straight with each meal?

Yes. I stick it in large capsules to stick in my pocket for a meal out. Otherwise, yes, a teaspoon. Texture is chalky and grainy and not particularly pleasant. But no flavor to speak of. Just grab a mouthful and chase with with a drink or food in the middle of the meal. I do find it irritates the intestines if I take away from mealtime though.

 

[Blossom]

Yes. I stick it in large capsules to stick in my pocket for a meal out. Otherwise, yes, a teaspoon. Texture is chalky and grainy and not particularly pleasant. But no flavor to speak of. Just grab a mouthful and chase with with a drink or food in the middle of the meal. I do find it irritates the intestines if I take away from mealtime though.

Thanks @managing. Mine arrived today. :)
I was also wondering if you have ever melted it and applied it topically?

 

[managing]

Thanks @managing. Mine arrived today. :)
I was also wondering if you have ever melted it and applied it topically?

I have. And I find it to be calming and good for the skin. I combined it with a little bit of coconut oil to give it a spreadable texture. I think it took about 10% coconut to achieve that.

But I didn't find it to be androgenic or to help with sugar metabolism like eating it with meals.

 

[Blossom]

I have. And I find it to be calming and good for the skin. I combined it with a little bit of coconut oil to give it a spreadable texture. I think it took about 10% coconut to achieve that.

But I didn't find it to be androgenic or to help with sugar metabolism like eating it with meals.

Cool, thanks so much.

 

[SQu]

Extremely well. Doing it with each meal now. It seems to help my metabolism and energy in every way. I imagine there are three effects 1. displacing/competing with PUFA 2. the known therapeutic effects on liver (see above) 3 substrate for androg

I'm trying this. Mine has the same texture of stearic acid you describe. Have baked into biscuits which actually works pretty well, but seeing as I'm calorie restricting right now I've started mixing it into hot low fat/fat free milk with a teaspoon of sugar instead. I'll update.

 

[managing]

I'm trying this. Mine has the same texture of stearic acid you describe. Have baked into biscuits which actually works pretty well, but seeing as I'm calorie restricting right now I've started mixing it into hot low fat/fat free milk with a teaspoon of sugar instead. I'll update.

Please do.