Palmitic and oleic acids in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Xavier Palomer  ¹ , Ricardo Rodríguez-Calvo  ² , Marta Tajes  ³ , Walter Wahli  ⁴ , Manuel Vázquez-Carrera  ⁵

Affiliations

• PMID: 41912364
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2026.01.003

Abstract

The most common dietary and plasma fatty acids (FAs), palmitic and oleic acids, have opposing effects on the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Palmitic acid has been strongly associated with the presence of T2DM, while oleic acid has not and may even counteract the detrimental effects of palmitic acid. Despite this, recent cohort studies have shown no association or even conflicting results, questioning these roles. This review summarizes the recently discovered molecular mechanisms by which palmitic acid inhibits insulin sensitivity and influences the development and progression of T2DM and how oleic acid can attenuate these effects. It also addresses future challenges in the growing field of dietary FA metabolism in T2DM research, which may help assess their actual impact on this condition.