Stearic Acid & Oleic Acid

[pjoshea13]

I have grown hot & cold over the benefit of olive oil over the years. The major fat in olive oil is oleic acid (55-83%).

Some will say that the true benefit lies in the high polyphenol content of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil [EVOO]. However, this is not what the majority of people around the Mediterranean use on a daily basis. Americans are often told not to waste the good stuff on cooking. We are supposed to cook with an inferior olive oil. A filtered oil will have a higher smoke point, which means it can be used at most cooking temperatures.

So let's say it is the oleic acid we need. "What's good for cardiovascular health is good for prostate health" goes the saying. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be heart-healthy (the PREDIMED study), and it is 40% fat, which could amount to a lot of oleic acid.

In 1990, a British study looked at the stearic acid to oleic acid ratio in erythrocytes (red blood cells). "... all patients with advanced prostatic cancer showed a reduced stearic to oleic acid ratio ..." [1]

Another British study (1991) reported that "Patients with malignant prostatic disease ... had a significantly higher concentration of oleic acid in phospholipids from both plasma and prostatic tissue. The stearic to oleic acid ratio was similar in plasma but was significantly reduced in malignant tissue" [2].

In a 2002 Greek study: "Cancer patients had reduced prostate tissue stearic to oleic acid ratios and stearic acid levels as opposed to hyperplasia patients." [3]

From a 2004 US study: "Our research study demonstrated a lower level of stearic acid and an increased content of oleic acid in RBC of cancer patients in comparison with control and non-cancer patients." [4].

(2007): "The ratio of oleic-to-stearic acid in the prostate predicts biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer" [5]

I wonder how PCa affects the ratio in red blood cells?

When I read those studies and others, years ago, I figured that putting more oleic acid into my body might not be prudent.

But maybe it has nothing to do with diet? Oleic acid & stearic acid appear to be quite different. Oleic is a liquid at room temperature, whereas stearic is a waxy solid. But they are similar. They both have 18 carbons. Stearic is fully hydrogenated whereas oleic is mono-unhydrogenated at the midway point (making it an omega-9). Oleic bends in the middle, whereas steric doesn't. It's not a big deal for the body to convert one to the other.

Interestingly, stearic acid is no longer the saturated fat villain it once was. It is no longer associated with clogged arteries & heart attacks.

From a 2014 US study: "Dietary Stearic Acid Leads to a Reduction of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Athymic Nude Mice" [6]:

"Stearic acid (C18:0) is a long chain dietary saturated fatty acid that has been shown to reduce metastatic tumor burden."

"Based on preliminary observations and the growing evidence that visceral fat is related to metastasis and decreased survival, we hypothesized that dietary stearic acid may reduce visceral fat."

"Total body weight did not differ significantly between dietary groups over the course of the experiment.  However visceral fat was reduced by ∼70% in the stearic acid fed group compared to other diets."

There are diets that are quite good for keeping weight down, but one can be lean outside & fat inside. Visceral fat acts like a gland in the endocrine system. It is hormonally active and pro-cancer growth.

The best source of stearic acid is cocoa butter. A quality brand of chocolate with a stated high amount of cocoa butter might be worth trying. I have some Scharffen Berger unsweetened 99% cacao dark chocolate.

From 2017: "Cashew consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol" [7].

"Although a qualified Food and Drug Administration health claim exists for nuts and heart health, cashews have been exempt from its use because cashews exceed the disqualifying amount of saturated fatty acids. Approximately one-third of the saturated fat in cashews is stearic acid, which is relatively neutral on blood lipids, thereby suggesting that cashews could have effects that are similar to those of other nuts. However, clinical data on cashews and blood lipids have been limited."

The study involved 51 men & women.

"Conclusions: In comparison with a control diet, the incorporation of cashews into typical American diets decreases total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol."

***

I do use olive oil these days, although we go through a lot of butter.

{The EU have failed miserably to ensure the quality of European olive oil. I buy from California when the latest harvest is bottled.}

-Patrick

[1] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/233...

[2] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/176...

[3] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/121...

[4] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/153...

[5] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/179...

[6] journals.plos.org/plosone/a...

[7] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/283...

[Graham49]

Thankyou for posting. I think I will increase my consumption of cashew nuts and very dark chocolate.

[cujoe]

Patrick, I had a very good podcast (or maybe two) with Dr Peter Attia on lipids and fats that I was going to pass along to you, but I never got time to find them and do the reply. I'll try to look again later tonight.

I've always been intrigued by this interesting observation about the nature of the Mediterranean diet that is made by Nassim Taleb (from his 2012 book, Antifragile : things that gain from disorder):

I speculate; in fact I more than speculate: I am convinced (an inevitable result of nonlinearity) that we are antifragile to randomness in food delivery and composition—at least over a certain range, or number of days.

And one blatant denial of convexity bias is the theory about the benefits of the so-called Cretan (or Mediterranean) diet that triggered a change in the eating habits of the U.S. enlightened class, away from steak and potatoes in favor of grilled fish with salad and feta cheese. It happened as follows. Someone looked at the longevity of Cretans, cataloged what they ate, then inferred—naively—that they lived longer because of the types of food they consumed. It could be true, but the second-order effect (the variations in intake) could be dominant, something that went unnoticed by mechanistic researchers. Indeed, it took a while to notice the following: the Greek Orthodox church has, depending on the severity of the local culture, almost two hundred days of fasting per year; and these are harrowing fasts.

* * *

Religious fasting may or may not be a major contributing influence to the reported benefits of the Mediterranean diet, but as we now know of the positive metabolic benefits of fasting, it does call into question the food composition vs meal frequency as major reasons for the near-universal endorsement of the benefits of a Mediterranean diet.

I also use olive oil (exclusively), but I also still have my PCa. More later . . . Ciao - cujoe

[pjoshea13 in reply to cujoe]

Cujoe,

The reference to Crete reminds me of Ancel Keys and his Seven Countries study. It covered the years 1958-1964. Crete was still recovering from the German occupation. Poverty was widespread and there was near-starvation. Keys associated the spartan diet with Cretan longevity. However, one Cretan pointed out that they never used to eat that way. Before the war they ate a richer diet. The healthy elderly people might have had 70 years or more of a quite different diet,

Italy was another country included in the study, where there was austerity & deprivation. Keys had an aversion to France and Switzerland, so they were not included.

Before Keys began the study, he had become convinced that dietary fat caused heart disease,

The Seven Countries study was very influential in the U.S., and influential disciples of Keys are still with us.

I was born in England in 1948 and I remember that my mother would never leave the house without her ration books. Meat was rationed until 1954 - nine years after WW2 ended. I think of the 1950s as a time of austerity caused by the war. Greece & Italy had a harder post-war recovery, I believe. The 7 Countries study was a bad idea, at that time.

-Patrick

[cujoe in reply to pjoshea13]

While his K-rations probably saved some lives during WWII, Keys (with his wife's assistance) was unintentionally responsible for a lot more heart attack and stroke deaths afterwards. It has always sounded like a perfect example of confirmation bias writ very large to me.

Your post-WWII experience is something that surely has influenced your life since - and I can only guess it would be in a positive direction. Your life journey sounds like one that would make a good book? ( And you clearly know how to write with clarity and wit. Sign me up for a first edition!)

Ciao - cujoe

[cujoe]

Patrick - while not specifically related to olive oil, this Peter Attia interview with World-renowned lipidologist Tom Dayspring debunks much of what we think we know about lipids. I was blown away when I first listened to it.

Here is the link to the YouTube podcast:

youtube.com/watch?v=svYYprv...(Not working as expected?)

And one with links to the earlier 5-part series with Dr. Dayspring along with shownotes:

peterattiamd.com/tomdayspri...

Highly recommended. Smart patients get smart care . . . sometimes.

Ciao - K9