Fatty acids in animals: thrombosis and hemostasis

Long-chain fatty acids, including stearic acid, can cause thrombosis when they are injected into the systemic circulation of animals. The toxicity is decreased if the fatty acids are bound to albumin. To date, the effect of individual fatty acid feeding is not known. In general, feeding animals diets high in saturated fat followed by the injection of a thrombogenic stimulus is associated with a greater incidence of thrombosis than when a normal diet or a diet high in unsaturated or polyunsaturated fat is fed. A high dietary intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 family may prevent thrombosis in animals. In assessing the effects of dietary fatty acids, the ability of the organism, be it animal or human, to convert fatty acids to less thrombogenic fatty acids (stearic to oleic) or create an antithrombotic fatty acid (linolenic to eicosapentaenoic) is a major attribute. Further studies should consider the storage of fatty acids in tissues and their release into the blood and the potential impairment of albumin binding and fatty acid transport mechanisms.