Stearic acid

Stearic acid is a long-chain saturated fatty acid. Stearic acid is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that come from many animal and vegetable fats and oils.  Its name comes from the Greek word stéar which means tallow. The term stearate is applied to the salts and esters of stearic acid.

Stearic acid and cholesterol
Stearic acid does not seem to raise serum cholesterol concentrations. Stearic acid does not seem to raise low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol relative to oleic acid, which is known to be neutral in its effects on cholesterol concentrations. In contrast, palmitic acid, another long-chain saturated fatty acid, raises cholesterol concentrations. For this reason, fats rich in stearic acid might be used in place of those high in palmitic acid in cholesterol-lowering diets.

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