Dietary fatty acid metabolism: New insights into the similarities of lipid metabolism in humans and hamsters

•More than 40 fatty acids (FA) were detected in plasma and erythrocytes of humans and hamsters.•Plasma total fatty acids concentration and FA profile are similar in humans and hamsters.•Differences in plasma TG, CE and PL fractions causes small differences in FA profile between both species.•Changes in dietary FA intake causes similar changes in FA profile in plasma in humans and hamsters.•Changes in plasma FA due to dietary FA can be explain by the same metabolic processes in both species.•The erythrocyte FA profile differs more and seems to be characteristic of each species.