Cocoa butter and olive oil: inflammation markers after a fatty meal
What it found
In ten healthy women, a fatty meal made with cocoa butter or refined olive oil did not change levels of two inflammation markers, hsCRP and IL-6, in the blood.
Both fats raised blood triglycerides after the meal.
What they found
Studies in people
Triglycerides rose
Both meals raised serum triacylglycerol levels over time. There was no difference between the two fats.
IL-6 dipped then rose
Serum IL-6 fell after 4 hours and then rose back to fasting levels by 6 hours. This pattern was the same for both meals.
hsCRP unchanged
Serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein was not affected by either meal.
No link to blood fats
There was no association between postprandial lipemia and the inflammation markers.
What the authors conclude
“Thus, fat rich in stearic acid does not seem to increase postprandial inflammation.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that a high intake of dietary fats increases postprandial serum TAG but may not affect inflammatory markers after a meal.
- They conclude that fat rich in stearic acid does not seem to increase postprandial inflammation.
How it was done
Fats high in stearic acid, like cocoa butter, do not raise cholesterol the way other saturated fats do, but a small rise in inflammation markers has been seen in the fasting state. The authors wanted to see what happens after a meal.
Ten healthy women ate test meals containing 1 g of fat per kg body weight (mean 62 g), once with cocoa butter and once with refined olive oil, in a single blind crossover randomised study. Blood samples were taken before the meal and at 4 and 6 hours after.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a small study in ten healthy women, so the results may not apply to other people.
- It only looked at one meal and a few hours afterwards, so it cannot show what happens with long term eating habits.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Copenhagen University, Denmark
The paper
- Title
- Dietary cocoa butter or refined olive oil does not alter postprandial hsCRP and IL-6 concentrations in healthy women
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Tholstrup T, Teng KT, Raff M (2011). Dietary cocoa butter or refined olive oil does not alter postprandial hsCRP and IL-6 concentrations in healthy women. Lipids. doi:10.1007/s11745-011-3526-4PubMed 21287288DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error