Mercola J. Pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) and cardiovascular disease: A narrative review. World J Cardiol 2025; 17(12): 110861 [DOI: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i12.110861]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Joseph Mercola, Researcher, Independent Researcher, Midwestern University, 555 31st St, Downers Grove, IL 60515, United States. drm@mercola.com
Research Domain of This Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Article-Type of This Article
Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 26, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 24, 2025
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Cardiology
ISSN
1949-8462
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Mercola J. Pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) and cardiovascular disease: A narrative review. World J Cardiol 2025; 17(12): 110861 [DOI: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i12.110861]
World J Cardiol. Dec 26, 2025; 17(12): 110861 Published online Dec 26, 2025. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i12.110861
Pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) and cardiovascular disease: A narrative review
Joseph Mercola
Joseph Mercola, Independent Researcher, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL 60515, United States
Author contributions: Mercola J was the sole author responsible for study conception and design, data acquisition and interpretation, manuscript preparation and revision, final approval of the version to be published, and agrees to be accountable for the integrity of the work in all respects; and all images, including figures and tables, are original images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: I have no conflict of interests.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Joseph Mercola, Researcher, Independent Researcher, Midwestern University, 555 31st St, Downers Grove, IL 60515, United States. drm@mercola.com
Received: June 17, 2025 Revised: July 17, 2025 Accepted: November 3, 2025 Published online: December 26, 2025 Processing time: 190 Days and 13.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Pentadecanoic acid (C15:0), an odd-chain saturated fat concentrated in grass-fed dairy, is increasingly recognized as a “good” saturated fat with cardioprotective potential. Prospective cohorts and a recent meta-analysis show that individuals in the highest C15:0 quintile experience 12%-25% fewer cardiovascular events and approximately 14% less incident type 2 diabetes. Mechanistic studies reveal that C15:0 activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha and delta and AMP-activated protein kinase, lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α-driven inflammation, enhances insulin sensitivity, and repairs mitochondrial-endothelial function - findings that prompt calls to test dietary or supplemental C15:0 in randomized trials and to rethink blanket saturated-fat limits.
