Background

Milk fat intake is often associated with a high risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to its high saturated fat content. However, not all saturated fatty acids (SFA) are equal and they present structural differences that promote distinct effects on the biological processes. In addition, there is a growing scientific consensus pointing to dairy fat as a natural source of bioactive components.

Scope and approach

The present review provides the most recent knowledge on the bioactive properties of fatty acids detected in dairy products and their potential effects on consumer health. The metabolic processes that involve these fatty acids and serious chronic diseases such as CVD, obesity, diabetes or cancer are explained and discussed throughout the text based on in vitro, animal and human studies. Moreover, information gaps are highlighted to inspire further research in the field.

Key findings and conclusions

Recent investigations support that milk SFA should no longer be considered as a single group in terms of metabolism or negative effects in case of excess. Even they suggest that individual SFA possess specific properties associated with important physiological functions. Whole dairy products would also promote human health due to the presence of certain bioactive fatty acids. Among them, it is worth mentioning the maintenance of gut microbiota and weight control from short and medium-chain SFA, the essential role of branched-chain SFA in gut health at birth and the prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases by vaccenic and rumenic acids.

中文翻译：

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牛奶脂肪酸和潜在的健康益处：崭新的愿景

背景

牛奶中的饱和脂肪含量高，因此摄入牛奶中的脂肪常常会导致罹患心血管疾病（CVD）的风险增加。但是，并非所有的饱和脂肪酸（SFA）都是相等的，它们呈现出结构差异，从而促进了对生物过程的独特影响。此外，越来越多的科学共识指出乳脂是生物活性成分的天然来源。

范围和方法

本综述提供了有关乳制品中检测到的脂肪酸的生物活性及其对消费者健康的潜在影响的最新知识。全文根据体外，动物和人体研究对涉及这些脂肪酸和严重慢性疾病（例如CVD，肥胖，糖尿病或癌症）的代谢过程进行了解释和讨论。此外，突出了信息空白以激发该领域的进一步研究。

主要发现和结论

最近的研究支持，牛奶SFA不应再被视为新陈代谢或过量食用时的负面影响而被视为一个整体。甚至他们认为单个SFA具有与重要生理功能相关的特定属性。由于某些生物活性脂肪酸的存在，全脂乳制品也将促进人类健康。其中，值得一提的是通过短链和中链SFA维持肠道菌群和控制体重，支链SFA在出生时肠道健康中的重要作用以及预防性的山cen酸和瘤胃酸对慢性炎症的预防作用。