Nutr Diabetes. 2026 May 15. doi: 10.1038/s41387-026-00428-8. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) have been recognized as an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). SFAs with varying carbon chain lengths may differentially influence CVD progression. Both inflammation and insulin resistance (IR) are primary drivers of CVDs. Therefore, this study aims to compare the associations of long-chain SFAs (LCSFAs) and very-long-chain SFAs (VLCSFAs) with neutrophil-related inflammatory markers and IR markers using data from the NHANES 2011-2014 cohort.
METHODS: We measured five LCSFAs (C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0) and four VLCSFAs (C20:0, C22:0, C23:0, C24:0) in blood samples. Subsequently, weighted linear regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to assess associations between different SFAs and neutrophil-related and IR-related markers.
RESULTS: A total of 3424 individuals were included in the analysis. Relative to participants in the lowest quartile of C16:0, those in the highest quartile exhibited 0.048 to 4.023 units higher levels of neutrophil counts, neutrophil-to-erythrocyte ratio (NER), neutrophil-to-high-density lipoprotein ratio (NHR), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR). Conversely, participants in the highest quartile of C24:0 showed 0.016 to 1.709 units lower levels of these markers compared with the lowest quartile.
CONCLUSIONS: Circulating LCSFAs were positively associated with neutrophil-mediated inflammation and IR markers. In contrast, VLCSFAs, specifically C22:0, C23:0, and C24:0, exhibited inverse associations with these inflammatory and IR markers.
PMID:42140915 | DOI:10.1038/s41387-026-00428-8