Harbingers of coronary heart disease: dietary saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Is chocolate benign because of its stearic acid content?

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Abstract
Consumption of foods rich in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol has long been recognized as an important precursor for the development of coronary heart disease; saturated fatty acids and cholesterol each independently elevate cholesterol and LDL concentrations in the blood (1). However, it is now thought that some saturated fatty acids may not deserve this reputation. Likewise, dietary cholesterol has been held in less opprobrium in recent years. What are the facts? The saturated fatty acids lauric (12:0), myristic (14:0), and palmitic (16:0) acids definitely raise plasma cholesterol concentrations. The medium- and short-chain fatty acids with ≤10 carbons are handled by the body more like carbohydrates than fats and have no effects on plasma cholesterol concentrations. On the other hand, stearic acid—which has 18 carbons—has been considered benign or neutral in this regard, which has led the food industry to consider producing fats rich in stearic acid to provide the taste and flavor of fat in foods without the usual disadvantage of saturated fat. For chocolate lovers, considerable euphoria has resulted because the fat in chocolate is especially high in stearic acid (≈30% of fatty acids).

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