Research

Hormonal

Higher long-term circulating levels of de novo lipogenesis-related fatty acids (palmitic acid 16:0, palmitoleic acid 16:1n-7, and oleic acid 18:1n-9) are associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and non-cardiovascular mortality in older adults, whereas higher levels of stearic acid (18:0) are associated with lower mortality risk.

For older adults, high levels of certain fatty acids in the blood (palmitic, palmitoleic, and oleic acids) signal higher long-term mortality risk, while stearic acid signals lower risk. These levels reflect metabolic processes like de novo lipogenesis, often driven by excess carbohydrate and alcohol intake. Focus on metabolic health markers rather than just total fat intake.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Higher long-term levels of 16:0, 16:1n-7, and 18:1n-9 and changes in 16:0 were positively, whereas long-term levels and changes in 18:0 were inversely, associated with all-cause mortality in older adults.
Heidi Lai et al. · Journal of the American Heart Association · 2019

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (n=3869), long follow-up (up to 22 years), serial measurements, and multivariable adjustment, but observational design prevents causal inference.

Source

Serial Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids in the De Novo Lipogenesis Pathway and Total Mortality, Cause‐Specific Mortality, and Cardiovascular Diseases in the Cardiovascular Health Study

Heidi Lai et al. · Journal of the American Heart Association · 2019

DOI 10.1161/jaha.119.012881

cohort · n=3869Cited 44×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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