>Todd Moody wrote:

>> Factory meat will still have an unnaturally high percentage of
>> palmitic acid, which appears to contribute to IR.

Hilary:
> But I'm wondering
>whether one should be at all concerned about palmitic acid causing
>insulin resistance ..

Todd,

could you give us some references about IR and palmitic acid?
You'll guess I'm interested in it because of (red) palm oil which has
palmitic acid as a major ingredient (some 40%).

What's the mechanism how palmitic acid contributes to IR?
I suppose it has to do with the cell wall construction - then the total
percentage of SFA/MUFA/PUFA in the blood would matter.
And it's presence may decrease glucose usage, so that glucose concentrations
in the blood are higher, leading to more urgent insulin responses.

As you wrote, palmitic (or stearic too I think) are the first hand products
what the body makes out of surplus sugar.
In this aspect I'd say eating much palmitic acid (in terms of energy)
is essentially the same as eating much sugar (minus thiamin depletion, minus
possible insulin freakouts). And smaller amount's wouldn't matter.
But what are smaller amounts?
Maybe 10 or 20% of one day's energy 240 to 500 kcal? I'd assume so.

If you'd like to stick to natural sources, red palm oil is a great supply
for vitamin E (and other antioxidants).
This is an important contribution for eating a high fat and a high PUFA
diet.
Thanks god only 1-2 tablespoons red palm oil provide the RDA for E
(less than 40g or 400 kcal).

Amadeus