This review focuses on the relationships among dietary fat type, plasma and liver lipid, and lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids are beneficial for the prevention of coronary artery atherosclerosis. By contrast, dietary monounsaturated fatty acids appear to alter hepatic lipoprotein metabolism, promote cholesteryl oleate accumulation, and confer atherogenic properties to lipoproteins as shown in data from experimental animal studies. Polyunsaturated fat appears to provide atheroprotection, at least in part, because it limits the accumulation of cholesteryl oleate in favor of cholesteryl linoleate in plasma lipoproteins.
