Serum palmitoleate acts as a lipokine in subjects at high cardiometabolic risk

What does your study add?
• Cis-palmitoleic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acid in adipose tissue.
• Association between circulating cis-palmitoleic acid and metabolic diseases has yielded controversial results.
• Cis-palmitoleic acid measured in circulating NEFA relates to the prevalence of metabolic disturbances.
• The significant association between cis-palmitoleate and FABP4 reinforces the lipokine role of palmitoleate.

Background and aimClinical data on the role as a lipokine of de novo lipogenesis-derived palmitoleic acid (C16:1n-7cis) in serum non-esterified fatty acids (palmitoleate) are scarce. We aimed to assess whether palmitoleate relates to cardiometabolic risk.Methods and resultsIn this cross-sectional study we included 358 individuals aged 30–65-years at high cardiovascular risk. We tested the association of palmitoleate (determined by gas chromatography) with metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components (defined by ATPIII criteria), fatty liver index (a surrogate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD]), and subclinical atherosclerosis (determined as ultrasound-measured carotid intima-media thickness and arterial stiffness). Palmitoleate concentration was higher in women compared with men (median ± range interquartile, 1.36 ± 0.96 vs. 0.97 ± 0.77 μmol/L respectively, P < 0.001). In both genders palmitoleate concentration was associated with a higher prevalence of MS: men, odds ratio [OR: 1.12 (95%CI: 1.03; 1.23, P = 0.010)]; women [OR: 1.07 (95%CI: 1.03; 1.13, P = 0.005)], and all of its components except low HDL-cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia. Palmitoleate was also associated with increased risk of NAFLD in both men [OR: 1.12 (95%CI: 1.03; 1.29, P = 0.031)] and women [OR: 1.11 (95%CI: 1.05; 1.19, P = 0.001)]. No associations with subclinical atherosclerosis were detected.ConclusionsOur observational data supports a relationship between de novo lipogenesis-derived circulating palmitoleic acid (palmitoleate) and increased cardiometabolic risk.