The influence of myristic acid of dietary fats on serum cholesterol.

Summary The effect of dietary myristic acid on serum cholesterol of rats was studied using mixtures of trimyristin and groundnut oil. Incorporation of trimyristin in the oil resulted in marked rise in serum cholesterol of rats over the control group fed groundnut oil. A direct relationship between serum cholesterol and the myristic acid content of dietary fat was not apparent. Thus the cholesterol response to a diet containing an interesterified fat, prepared from a mixture of trimyristin and groundnut oil, was lower than that obtained by administering the same fat mixture without treatment.