I read in the latest fat article that Stearic acid “Induces lipogenic (fat building) genes and storage”. It stated that it is mainly found in beef. I currently consume a lot of beef and am now think of switching up this source of meat. Does anyone know if stearic acid is found in other forms of meat such as pork, chicken or fish?
Stearic acid is usually the second most prevalent saturated fat in ANY fat source. In beef it is around 12% of the total fat. In chicken it is lower, both as a percentage of saturated fat and fat in general (since saturated fat is a lower percentage of the total fat in chicken).
You should be more worried about total fat consumption during a meal (less than 50g recommended in article - I find 30-50g works for me) and balancing your intake by adding polyunsaturated sources, particularly omega 3 to balance the horrid omega3/omega6 ratio (ground flax seeds and fish oil both have separate beneficial properties).
In the case of beef, It is low in ALL polyunsaturated fat. I have to laugh at people talking about the 3/6 ratio in beef when the total polyunsaturated fat is very low to begin with. Adding some walnuts and fish oil will take care of this problem.
If you are getting at least a quarter of your fat from polyunsaturated sources and have a decent amount of omega 3 fats, including long chain ones like DHA/EPA in fish oil, I would not worry. Choosing leaner cuts and adding the lost fat back to your diet from high mono/poly sources is another way to cut your stearic acid intake rather than switching meats.
edit: if you want the software to search the data yourself, it is at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=5720
That way you don’t need internet and can alter the portions. The site below is not bad.
Look on nutritiondata.com. Below is an example of a 100g’s (3.5oz) of top sirloin. If you scroll down to the “fats and fatty acids” box and click on “more details” you can view every single type of fat and the amount found in the product. However, the fats are listed based on their carbon lenghts so you’ll have to look them up (ie stearic acid is C18:0).