Olive oil MUFAs vs lard SFAs in insulin resistance
What it found
In 18 adults with dyslipidemia linked to insulin resistance, swapping saturated fat from lard for monounsaturated fat from olive oil lowered LDL cholesterol and changed how the body cleared LDL particles.
The authors say this points to an improved blood fat profile.
What they found
Studies in people
LDL cholesterol
The monounsaturated fat diet lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.0% compared with the saturated fat diet. Non-HDL cholesterol also fell by 2.5%.
LDL particle pool
The monounsaturated fat diet reduced the LDL apoB-100 pool size by 6.0% and the VLDL apoB-100 pool size by 22.5%.
LDL clearance rate
The monounsaturated fat diet increased the LDL apoB-100 fractional catabolic rate by 1.6%, which means LDL particles were cleared from the blood faster.
Triglyceride-rich particles
The monounsaturated fat diet made no difference to the triglyceride-rich lipoprotein apoB-48 fractional catabolic rate or production rate.
Blood fat profile
The monounsaturated fat diet led to lower sphingolipid levels and higher glycerophospholipid levels in the blood compared with the saturated fat diet.
What the authors conclude
“This study demonstrated that substituting dietary MUFAs for SFAs decreases LDL-C levels and LDL PS by increasing LDL apoB-100 FCR and results in an overall improved plasma lipidomic profile in individuals with IR-induced lipidemia.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that substituting dietary monounsaturated fats for saturated fats decreases LDL cholesterol levels and LDL particle pool size by increasing LDL apoB-100 clearance rate.
- They state that this results in an overall improved plasma lipidomic profile in individuals with insulin resistance induced dyslipidemia.
How it was done
The authors note that replacing monounsaturated fats for saturated fats is recommended to prevent heart disease, but its effect on lipoprotein metabolism in people with dyslipidemia linked to insulin resistance was largely unknown.
They recruited 18 men and women with dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance. In a double-blind randomized crossover trial, each person ate a diet rich in saturated fat and a diet rich in monounsaturated fat for 4 weeks each, in random order, with a 4-week break between. Blood samples and lipoprotein kinetics were measured at the end of each diet.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The study was small, with only 18 people, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- It lasted only 4 weeks per diet, so it cannot show what happens over a longer time.
- It cannot show whether these changes in blood fats lead to fewer heart attacks or other health outcomes.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Université Laval, Canada; CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Canada
The paper
- Title
- Substitution of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids from olive oil for saturated fatty acids from lard increases low-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein B-100 fractional catabolic rate in subjects with dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance: a randomized controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Desjardins LC, Brière F, Tremblay AJ, et al (2024). Substitution of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids from olive oil for saturated fatty acids from lard increases low-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein B-100 fractional catabolic rate in subjects with dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance: a randomized controlled trial. The American journal of clinical nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.03.015Free full textPubMed 38518848DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error