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Linoleic Acid Vs. Cetyl Myristoleate

Linoleic acid and cetyl myristoleate are essential fatty acids. An "essential fatty acid" means that the body doesn't produce it so it must be obtained from the diet. Linoleic acid is found in many vegetable oils. Safflower and sunflower oils are especially good sources. Cetyl myristoleate, which can be made synthetically, is alleged to prevent arthritis.

  1. Linoleic Acid

    • Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid found in cell membranes. The body needs linoleic acid to produce prostaglandins, hormone-like substances essential to the dilation and construction of blood vessels, the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles and moderating inflammation.

    Cetyl Myristoleate

    • When the fatty acid myristoleic acid is combined with cetyl alcohol, a long-chain alcohol molecule, the result is cetyl myristoleate.
      Cetyl alcohol, first derived from the oil of the sperm whale, is now usually obtained from palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid found in palm and coconut oil. Cetyl has a waxy appearance when cooled. It has a buttery consistency at room temperature.

    Suspected Benefits of Linoleic Acid

    • Linoleic acid is used to add omega-6 to margarines, and is is thought to be essential for the proper growth of infants. Supplements containing linoleic acid are used by body builders because it is thought to decrease the level of body fats and increase lean body mass. Clinical trials suggest, but do not prove, that linoleic acid might inhibit cancer cells and reduce inflammation and help prevent hardening of the arteries.

    Benefits of Cetyl Myristoleate

    • The benefits of cetyl myristoleate are asserted, but not proven, by clinical research. Cetyl myristoleate is said to act as a super biological lubricant, helping make muscles glide smoothly over other muscles as well as bursas in the joints--the sacks of fluid that cushion the bones. It allegedly softens these tissues, making them more pliable. It appears to help modulate the immune system, making it effective in treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the autoimmune system.

    Cetyl Myristoleate Controversy

    • Harry W. Diehl, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, is credited with discovering cetyl myristoleate as early as 1962. He could not get the interest of a drug company because cetyl myristoleate occurs naturally and so can't be patented. Diehl used it to treat his own osteoarthritis in 1991. In 1994, he published an article on the substance in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the claims of the usefulness of cetyl myristoleate. Research into benefits of the substance is ongoing.

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