Coagulation and fibrinolysis factors in healthy subjects consuming high stearic or trans fatty acid diets.

The effects of stearic acid (C18:0) and trans fatty acids on variables related to coagulation and fibrinolysis were studied in 80 healthy humans average age 29 +/- 9 years. All subjects consumed a baseline diet high in saturated fatty acids, mainly from dairy fat for 5 weeks. After this baseline diet they were allocated either to a diet high (8.7% of energy, En%) in trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (40 subjects) or a diet high (9.3 En%) in stearic acid (40 subjects) for 5 weeks. All diets contained 32.2-33.9 En% fat, 14.6-15.8 En% saturated plus trans fatty acids, 12.2-12.5 En% cis-monounsaturated and 2.9-3.5 En% polyunsaturated fatty acids and 216-250 mg/10 MJ cholesterol. The fats were mixed into solid foods and almost all daily food was provided. In comparison with the baseline dairy fat diet no change was observed in the concentrations of plasma fibrin degradation products and D-dimers. Also the factor VII coagulant activity (F VII:C), tissue type plasminogen activity (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor activity (PAI-1) were not affected by the experimental diets. Small increase in plasma fibrinogen concentration during the stearic acid diet was statistically significant (from 3.49 to 3.63 g/l: p = 0.041), but probably without any biological significance. Both diets increased plasma level of lipoprotein Lp(a). It can be concluded that as far as coagulation and fibrinolysis are concerned there is no need to differentiate between stearic acid or trans monoenoic fatty acids.