Lauric acid, the saturated fatty acid with a 12-carbon atom chain, thus falling into the medium chain fatty acids, is a white, powdery solid with a faint odor of bay oil or soap. Lauric acid, as a component of triglycerides, comprises about half of the fatty acid content in coconut oil, laurel oil, and in palm kernel oil, Otherwise it is relatively uncommon. Lauric acid increases total serum cholesterol the most of any fatty acid. But most of the increase is attributable to an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (the "good" blood cholesterol). As a result, lauric acid has been characterized as having "a more favorable effect on total:HDL cholesterol than any other fatty acid, either saturated or unsaturated." In general, a lower total/HDL serum cholesterol ratio correlates with a decrease in atherosclerotic risk. For these purposes, lauric acid is neutralized with sodium hydroxide to give sodium laurate, which is a soap.
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