Saturated fatty acids intake in relation to C-reactive protein, adiponectin, and leptin: a population-based study

Evidence on the relation of saturated fatty acids (SFA) with inflammatory markers and adipokines is scarce and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association of the intake of total SFA, their subtypes (lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids), and SFA to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ratio (SFA/PUFA ratio) with serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin, and leptin among Portuguese adults.

We studied 395 non-institutionalized inhabitants of Porto (52.2% women; age range: 26-64 y) who were evaluated in 2010-2011, as part of EPIPorto study. Fatty acids intake was assessed with a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Blood was sampled after an overnight fast and serum concentrations of hs-CRP (through particle-enhanced immunonephelometry), adiponectin, and leptin (through radioimmunoassay) were determined. Regression coefficients (β) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained from linear regression models, stratified by sex.

After adjusting for age, education, regular physical exercise, smoking, and central body fat percentage, hs-CRP was significantly and positively associated with lauric (β = 0.218; 95% CI, 0.071-0.365) and myristic acids (β = 0.220; 95% CI, 0.073-0.368) and with SFA/PUFA ratio (β = 0.171; 95% CI, 0.022-0.320) in men, but not in women. For adiponectin and leptin, no significant associations with SFA intake were observed in either sex.

A detrimental role of lauric and myristic acids and of high SFA/PUFA ratio is suggested by their association with elevated hs-CRP concentrations in men. Our findings may be helpful in the planning of dietary modifications aimed at the modulation of inflammatory activity that could be an intermediate step to coronary events.