Oleic acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, biological activities, cardio protective activity, hypoglycemic activity and hypolipidemic activity

Description :   Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid that offers numerous health benefits. It is very popular

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Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid that offers numerous health benefits. It is very popular for its lipid lowering activity and cardio protective activity.

Chemistry

• The name oleic acid is derived from a latin word ‘oleum’, which means oil
• It contains single double bond (at 9 carbon) in its structure
• It is also known as omega 9 fatty acid
• It is a fatty acid of eighteen carbon chain
• It has the general formula of C₁₈H₃₄O₂
• It is colourless though its commercial supplemented forms have slight yellow colour
• It is odourless as well
• It is insoluble in water

Sources

As it is a non essential fatty acid thus body can synthesize it therefore its deficiency does not easily occurred in body if it is not consumed by diet, whereas it is also available in natural food stuffs as well as in supplemented forms.

Foods which are rich in oleic acid are listed below –

• Edible oil like olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, almond oil, rapeseed oil, sesame oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil

• Pork
• Beef
• Chicken
• Nuts
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Sunflower seed
• Avocado
• Milk

Mechanism of action

It mainly functions in body by changing the composition of cell membrane and by altering the receptors present in cell membrane. It exerts the following effects in body –

• It is associated with blocking the transport of cholesterol in intestine (especially in small intestine) by decreasing the synthesis of cholesterol receptors
• It also helps to reduce inflammation by stimulating the activation immune cells especially neutrophils that help to identify inflammation
• It is also related with increasing the synthesis of proteins, which helps to promote the functions of healthy blood vessels thus decreases the prevalence of vascular diseases
• Presence of oleic acid in cell membranes decreases free radical induced oxidative damages of cell membrane thus significantly reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases
• It also acts as an important building block of nervous system as it is associated with forming myelin that helps to improve signal transduction, nervous growth as well as repair

Health benefits

Anti-carcinogenic effect

• It helps to protect the body from carcinogens and reduces the prevalence of carcinoma
• Consumption of monounsaturated fatty acid especially oleic acid is very effective for hindering the growth of cancerous cells and tumor cells
• It has seen that oleic acid plays significant role in suppressing the over expression of an oncogene named HER2 that helps to prevent metastasis
• It especially helps to decrease the prevalence of lung cancer and breast cancer

Role on cardiac health

• Monounsaturated fatty acid plays vital role in promoting cardiac health and also decreases the risk of developing cardio vascular diseases and being a monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid is not an exception
• It significantly promotes cardiac functionality
• It helps to protect the heart from oxidative and inflammatory damages thus reduces cardiac morbidity rate
• It is also associated with decreasing the concentration of bad cholesterol (LDL) in blood. It decreases the level of triglyceride and VLDL as well. This lipid lowering activity of oleic acid is responsible for preventing fat deposition in blood vessels thus inhibits the hardening of blood vessels, which ultimately reduces the prevalence of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease
• On a contrary it has seen that consumption of oleic acid significantly improves the concentration of HDL in body that exerts potent cardio protective effects
• As mentioned above, it decreases fat deposition within blood vessels thus it prevents hardening of blood vessels and this feature is directly associated with improving endothelial functions that ultimately reduces the susceptibility of developing vascular diseases as well as hypertension
• It has seen that it plays vital role in regulating the synthesis of nitric oxide in body, which also helps to reduces high blood pressure
• Its consumption is very effective for decreasing the prevalence of heart attacks or strokes

Hypoglycemic effect

• It helps to decrease blood sugar concentration thus diabetic patients can easily include it in their diets
• It is related with increasing the sensitivity of insulin that helps to reduce free glucose concentration in blood as it helps to transfer glucose from blood to liver where it stores glucose as glycogen for future purpose
• It significantly decreases the level of fasting blood sugar as well as the level of    Read more