The role of stereospecific saturated fatty acid positions on lipid nutrition.

The saturated fatty acids in the sn-1 and -3 position of triacylglycerols can exhibit different metabolic patterns due to their low absorptivity. This means that dietary fats containing saturated fats primarily in sn-1 and -3 positions (e.g., cocoa butter, coconut oil, and palm oil) can have very different biological consequences than those fats in which the saturated fats are primarily in the sn-2 position (e.g., milk fat and lard). Differences in stereospecific fatty acid location should therefore be an important consideration in the design and interpretation of lipid nutrition studies and in the production of specialty food products.