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.
Although other types of coffee have been exonerated, consumption of unfiltered brewed coffee has been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. The diterpene constituent cafestol has been defined as the mechanism. DeRoos B, Caslake MJ, Stalenhoef AFH, et al. The coffee diterpene cafestol increases plasma triacylglycerol by increasing the production rate of large VLDL apolipoprotein B in healthy normolipidemic subjects. This has been shown in many experimental situations.