Oleic \O"le*ic\ ([=o]*l[=e]"[i^]k or [=o]*l[=a]"[i^]k or [=o]"l[-e]*[i^]k), a. [L. oleum oil: cf. F. ol['e]ique.] (Physiol.Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or contained in, oil; as, oleic acid, an acid of the acrylic acid series found combined with glyceryl in the form of olein in certain animal and vegetable fats and oils, such as sperm oil, olive oil, etc. At low temperatures the acid is crystalline, but melts to an oily liquid above 14[deg] C.
As expected, the saturated fat diet raised blood cholesterol levels an average of 21 milligrams per deciliter of blood plasma over the levels recorded when the volunteers were eating the diet with the natural cis form of oleic acid.
One of the fats that undergoes this change, oleic acid, is an unsaturated fat, the kind that until now has been used to lower cholesterol levels.