Hirvonen T, Pietinen P, Virtanen M, et al. Cortisol excretion was not correlated with exercise, energy or other variables, however. This evidence clearly suggests that exercising dietary restraint is stressful. It is necessary to find out whether these findings are generally applicable and sustained over many years. Cognitive dietary restraint is associated with higher urinary cortisol excretion in healthy premenopausal women.
Behenic acid is a long chain saturate which is rather poorly absorbed.
Because of this and its long chain length, it has generally been considered not to have a significant effect on plasma lipids. However, in a metabolic study seven men with mildly raised cholesterol were fed either a fat enriched with behenic acid, palm oil or high-oleic sunflower oil. Triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels did not differ between groups. Thus behenic acid, despite its low bioavailability, is not different from palm oil in its effect on LDL cholesterol and so is not suitable as a replacement for palmitate in oil formulation. Behenic acid is a cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acid in humans.