Palmitoleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid.
Palmitoleic acid is the desaturation product of palmitic acid. Since palmitic acid is predominant in human tissues where desaturase enzyme activity is present, one might expect relatively high levels of palmitoleic acid. Such levels are not found in healthy humans. Palmitoleic acid formation is increased only when intake of essential fatty acids is low. Thus, high palmitoleic acid is a marker of essential fatty acid deficiency.
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