A monounsaturated 16-carbon fatty acid found in sea buckthorn, macadamia and anchovy oil, sold either as a purified palmitoleate concentrate or as an unpurified oil.
Omega-7 arrived on supplement shelves on the back of animal work describing palmitoleate as a "lipokine" — a fatty acid released by adipose tissue that signals to liver and muscle. The human evidence is one small randomised trial of a purified preparation reporting reduced C-reactive protein and triglycerides, plus a scattering of observational data that point in contradictory directions, since higher circulating palmitoleate has also been associated with worse metabolic markers in some cohorts. Purified preparations remove palmitic acid, which the unpurified oils contain in quantity; that distinction matters and is rarely explained.
Regulation: Sold as a dietary supplement with no pre-market efficacy or safety review.
What the research used
The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) actually administered.
These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.
Studied for Inflammatory and lipid markers
210–220 mg
Not enough
Purified palmitoleic acid daily · 30 days
From one small randomised trial. A single short study in a few dozen people is not a basis for a dose, and no replication has been published.
This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.
When it was taken
Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.
None of the timings below were directly compared in a trial. They reflect how the research happened to dose, or what the pharmacology implies — which is not the same as a timing being better.
🍽️With food
Not enough
Taken with a meal as a fat. No timing comparison has been made.
Timing was not directly compared. This reflects convention or how the compound behaves in the body, not a trial showing this window works better.
The evidence in depth
Best supported: Not enough
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how promising the supplement sounds. How we rate evidence.
The same single trial reported lower triglycerides and higher HDL. There is not enough human research to say whether supplemental palmitoleate reliably affects blood lipids.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
One small trial of purified palmitoleate reported a substantial fall in C-reactive protein over a month. Without replication, and against observational data linking higher circulating palmitoleate to worse metabolic profiles, there is not enough evidence to call this a finding.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.
Things to know
Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.
Worth knowing
Almost no human evidence
The clinical case rests on a single small trial. Everything else offered in support is animal or cell work, or observational data that does not consistently favour palmitoleate.
Worth knowing
Unpurified products carry palmitic acid
Sea buckthorn and macadamia oils are rich in palmitoleic acid but also in palmitic acid, a saturated fat with the opposite reputation. Only purified preparations separate the two, and the label may not make clear which is being sold.
Interaction
Theoretical additive effect with lipid-lowering therapy
No interaction has been documented, but anyone using it alongside prescribed lipid therapy should mention it, if only so unexpected lipid changes are interpretable.