C15: The New Kid on the Fatty Acid Supplement Block

In my 30 plus years as a health care provider, I’ve seen quite a number of supplements and health products rise to prominence as the latest and greatest remedy for everything and anything that ails you. While most aren’t bad products overall, very few ultimately live up to the hype and preliminary “research” that is used to sell them - until the market for them cools and the nutrtion sales industry moves on to the next “cure du jour” (as I like to call them).

With that experience, I’m a bit skeptical about C15 (pentadecanoic acid), the most popular supplement brand of which is Fatty15. It ticks all the boxes of a cure du jour.

Claims of benefitting numerous health conditions? Check!

Claims that it’s far superior to “old” remedies that have stood the test of time (in this case, Omega 3)? Check!

Claims of exciting research documenting its effectiveness (with the vast majority of the research coming from the company selling it and/or loose interpretations of independent research)? Check!

Has to be purchased on a auto-pay subscription? Check! Er, actually, that one requires credit card, not check!

Skepticism aside, I will say that C15 probably does have some benefits for some people and it could turn out to be a really valuable supplement, but the research on it is simply lacking at this point.

C15 is a form of saturated fat, and the name comes from the molecule having 15 carbon atoms. Despite some claims of being “newly discovered,” C15 has long been known by chemists and food scientists as a part of many foods. The foods with the highest concentrations are dairy products and meats, but there are vegetarian sources and presumably those are used in the Fatty15 product, as it is sold as vegan friendly. One can get a reasonably good intake of C15 – equivalent to or greater than what is in the supplements – from dietary sources, but dietary sources with the most C15 also tend to be high in other “unhealthy” forms of saturated fat, so there is a case to be made that supplementation is preferrable to getting it from the diet.

The promoters of C15 compare it to the more familiar, highly-regarded Omega 3 supplements, claiming it has all the benefits, and more, without the potential risks (for details on the possible risks of Omega 3 supplements, see https://besthealthandwellness.beehiiv.com/p/omega3-part-two). Among other things, C15 is purported to improve sleep, enhance mood, improve liver health, improve blood lipid levels, assist in blood sugar control, and reduce inflammation.

Again, these benefits are proposed primarily by research done by the company that sells Fatty15 and a few small independent studies. The studies also were mostly done on cells isolated in a lab, and not clinical outcome studies on human beings living in the real world.

I was curious to see what people taking Fatty15 had to say and I looked at a handful of social media threads about it. The reviews were mostly positive, with the majority reporting improvements in sleep. A few mentioned improvements in their lipid levels on blood tests. But there were some reviewers who didn’t notice any improvements, and a few who felt worse and/or had worse sleep taking Fatty 15.

There were also a few complaints about the company’s refund policy and auto-pay subscription cancellation process. Frankly, the fact that Fatty15 is being sold via the subscription model is a red flag to me that it’s probably not going to live up to the hype long-term. If it’s all that they say it is, they wouldn’t need to lock people in to a difficult to cancel auto-ship. You can place a one-time (no subscription) order, but you have to buy a 90 day supply and it will cost you around $150 to do so. They do have a 30 day trial option for about $50, but it’s only available with a 90 day subscription that starts automatically after your trial period. Again, I think selling it this way is a red flag that the product isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

On the positive side, based on the limited research and the fact that the C15 supplements are at dosages that are not particularly high as compared to what one might get with a reasonable diet, it’s probably pretty safe to use. Some, if not the majority, probably do get some health benefits from it, and a small percentage probably get really great benefits from supplementing with C15. Still, I have strong doubts that it’s going to turn out to be the one supplement to rule them all that it’s currently being promoted as.

Cost-wise, the Fatty15 product is in the same ballpark in the long run as a good quality Omega 3 supplement ($30 to $40 for a month’s supply at a reasonable dosage). If you have the money to spare, I’d say there’s probably no harm in trying it – other than the possible frustration of trying to cancel your auto-ship subscription. You may find it to be a good addition to your health regimen. But if you are working within a tight budget and trying to decide between C15 and Omega 3 supplementation, my advice at this point is to stick with the tried and true (and much better researched) Omega 3.

Until next time…

George Best, D.C.