Background: The fatty acid composition of the diet is known to be partially reflected by the fatty acid composition of serum lipids.
Objective: We examined whether pentadecanoic acid (15:0) in serum lipids can be used as a marker for intake of milk fat, the major dietary source of 15:0. We also investigated the relations between intake of milk fat and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Design: Sixty-two 70-y-old men completed 7-d dietary records. The intake of milk products was studied in relation to the proportions of 15:0 in serum cholesterol esters and phospholipids, as well as to the clinical characteristics of these men, by using Spearman's rank correlation.
Results: The proportions of 15:0 in serum cholesterol esters were positively related to butter intake (r = 0.36. P = 0.004) and to the total amount of fat from milk products (r = 0.46, P < 0.0001): 15:0 in phospholipids was related to the amount of fat from milk and cream (r = 0.34, P = 0.008) and to the total amount of fat from milk products (r = 0.34, P = 0.008). Inverse associations were found between intake of milk products and body mass index, waist circumference, LDL-HDL ratio, HDL triacylglycerols, and fasting plasma glucose, whereas relations to HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I tended to be positive.
Conclusions: The results suggest that 15:0 in serum can be used as a marker for intake of milk fat. The explanation for the inverse associations between the intake of milk products and certain cardiovascular risk factors is not known.