Individual serum saturated fatty acids and markers of chronic subclinical inflammation: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study

Recent evidence has documented distinct effects of individual saturated FAs (SFAs) on cardiometabolic outcomes, with potential protective effects from odd-and very long-chain SFAs (VLSFAs). Cross-sectional and prospective associations of individual serum SFAs (12: 0, 14: 0, 15: 0, 16: 0, 18: 0, 20: 0, 22: 0, and total SFA) with proinflammatory biomarkers and adiponectin were investigated in 555 adults from the IRAS. Principal component analysis (PCA) of proinflammatory markers yielded three clusters: principal component (PC) 1: fibrinogen, white cell count, C-reactive protein; PC 2: plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), TNF-alpha, IL-18; PC 3: IL-6 and IL-8. Cross-sectional analyses on proinflammatory PCs and adiponectin, and prospective analyses on 5 year PAI-1 and fibrinogen concentrations were conducted with multiple regression. Total SFA and 16: 0 were positively associated with PC 1 and PC 2, and negatively associated with adiponectin. The 14: 0 was positively associated with PC 1 and negatively associated with adiponectin. In contrast, 15: 0, 20: 0, and 22: 0 were negatively associated with PC 2, and 20: 0 and 22: 0 were positively associated with adiponectin. The 18: 0 was negatively associated with PC 3. Prospectively, 15: 0, 18: 0, 20: 0, and 22: 0 were negatively associated with 5 year PAI-1 concentrations. The results demonstrate that individual SFAs have distinct roles in subclinical in-flammation, highlighting the unique metabolic impacts of individual SFAs.