Dietary lipids and adipose tissue fatty acids in the marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus).

The fatty acid composition of marmoset monkey perirenal fat was examined after long-term feeding of different lipid supplemented diets. Saturated fatty acid supplementation significantly reduced linoleic acid; n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation decreased oleic acid but did not reduce the saturated fatty acid content of perirenal fat. Dietary supplementation with fish oil also reduced the level of linoleic acid but increased the level of palmitic acid as well as that of the long-chain n-3 PUFAs. Perirenal fat levels of linoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are reliable measures of n-6 and n-3 PUFA intake respectively, but the levels of saturated fatty acids palmitic and stearic do not accurately reflect the marmosets dietary intake.