and is the precursor to longer fatty acids. As a consequence, palmitic acid is a major body component of animals. In humans, one analysis found it to make up 21-30% (molar) of human depot fat, and it is a major, but highly variable, lipid component of human breast milk. Palmitic acid comprises nearly half of total human brain saturated fatty acids.

Palmitate negatively feeds back on acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC),