Hormonal
Saturated fatty acids (e.g., palmitate) induce skeletal muscle atrophy and insulin resistance by promoting the accumulation of toxic lipid intermediates like ceramide and diacylglycerol (DAG), which inhibit insulin signaling and activate catabolic pathways.
If you are concerned about muscle loss, especially with age or obesity, reducing saturated fat intake (like palmitate) may help preserve muscle mass by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing inflammatory lipid intermediates. Prioritize unsaturated fats which appear to protect against muscle wasting.
exposure of C2C12 myotubes to palmitate (C16:0)... has been shown to decrease myotube diameter and suppress insulin signalling... palmitate provision in muscle cells has been reported to induce the expression of pro-atrophic genes such as atrogin-1/MAFbx... through its ability to induce the accumulation of toxic lipid intermediates such as ceramide.
Why this rating
Based on in vitro (C2C12, L6) and animal models (mice, rats); human data is limited to observational or short-term supplementation studies.
Source
Lipid modulation of skeletal muscle mass and function
Christopher Lipina et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2016
DOI 10.1002/jcsm.12144
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