In a message dated 10/16/02 10:34:48 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

> I think the idea is that by eating lots of palmitic
>
>acid at the same time that we are releasing it from adipocytes, we are
>
>overwhelming that conversion mechanism.

Not all palmitic gets converted -- just a small amount. Palmitic is used
directly all over the body -- particularly in the plasma membrane
phopholipids. In fact, a study summarized by Tom Brody in Nutritional
Biochemistry (Hamm et al., 1988) shows that while the fatty acids consumed
can alter the membrane fatty acid content slightly -- the body will saturate
or desaturate, etc. as needed to maintain membrane integrity. Particularly
telling is the results of the study comparing a high corn oil diet to one
higher in butterfat. On the corn oil diet the palmitic intake was 10.7% but
the palmitic component of the membranes was 24.2% while the palmitic intake
on butterfat was 33.3%, the membrane component was just 27.5%. Also while the
stearic component of the diet was 1.5 % on corn oil and 12.9 % on butterfat,
the membrane composition for these fatty acids was 16.7% and 19.0%
respectively. Generally most of the unsaturated components of the diet were
'saturated' upon inclusion in the membranes. (For instance while the 18:2
component of the corn oil diet was 62.4%, it's proportion in the membrane was
only 15.6% on that diet. Overall the palmitic component of the membranes
appears to be about 25% regardless of extremes in diet.  Interesting that 25%
is the amount of palmitic found in breast milk.

Namaste, Liz
<A HREF="http://www.csun.edu/~ecm59556/Healthycarb/index.html">
http://www.csun.edu/~ecm59556/Healthycarb/index.html</A>