This review presents existing evidence of the influence of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Data are discussed regarding the roles of the most relevant fatty acids, such as myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), palmitoleic (C16:1), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), α-linolenic (C18:3, ω-3), γ-linolenic (C18:3, ω-6), arachidonic (C20:4), eicosapentaenoic (C20:5), docosahexaenoic (C22:6), and docosapentaenoic (C22:5) acid. The accumulated knowledge has expanded the understanding of the involvement of fatty acids in metabolic processes, thereby enabling the transition from basic exploratory studies to practical issues of application of these biomolecules to CVD treatment. In the future, these findings are expected to facilitate the interpretation and prognosis of changes in metabolic lipid aberrations in CVD.
Keywords: blood lipid profile; cardiovascular disease; monounsaturated fatty acid; polyunsaturated fatty acid; saturated fatty acid.