Abstract
BackgroundPostprandial lipaemia varies with gender and the composition of dietary fat due to the partitioning of fatty acids between beta-oxidation and incorporation into triacylglycerols (TAGs). Increasing evidence highlights the importance of postprandial measurements to evaluate atherogenic risk. Postprandial effects of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in women are poorly characterized. We therefore studied the postprandial lipid response of women to an ALA-rich oil in comparison with olive oil and butter, and characterized the fatty acid composition of total lipids, TAGs, and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) in plasma.MethodsA randomized crossover design (n = 19) was used to compare the postprandial effects of 3 meals containing 35 g fat. Blood samples were collected at regular intervals for 7 h. Statistical analysis was carried out with ANOVA (significant difference = P < 0.05).ResultsNo significant difference was seen in incremental area under the curve (iAUC) plasma-TAG between the meals. ALA and oleic acid levels were significantly increased in plasma after ALA-rich oil and olive oil meals, respectively. Palmitic acid was significantly increased in plasma-TAG after the butter meal. The ratios of 18:2 n-6 to18:3 n-3 in plasma-TAGs, three and seven hours after the ALA-rich oil meal, were 1.5 and 2.4, respectively. The corresponding values after the olive oil meal were: 13.8 and 16.9; and after the butter meal: 9.0 and 11.6.ConclusionsThe postprandial p-TAG and NEFA response in healthy pre-menopausal women was not significantly different after the intake of an ALA-rich oil, olive oil and butter. The ALA-rich oil significantly affected different plasma lipid fractions and improved the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids several hours postprandially.
Highlights
Postprandial lipaemia varies with gender and the composition of dietary fat due to the partitioning of fatty acids between beta-oxidation and incorporation into triacylglycerols (TAGs)
Increased postprandial plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) levels have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women more than in men [1], and since most of the day is spent in the postprandial state, it is important to characterize the ways in which different dietary fatty acids (FAs) influence postprandial lipaemia
The overall conclusion was that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and/or alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) supplementation at low doses did not reduce the occurrence of major cardiovascular events in patients with a previous myocardial infarction who were receiving good clinical care
Summary
Postprandial lipaemia varies with gender and the composition of dietary fat due to the partitioning of fatty acids between beta-oxidation and incorporation into triacylglycerols (TAGs). Increased postprandial plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) levels have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women more than in men [1], and since most of the day is spent in the postprandial state, it is important to characterize the ways in which different dietary fatty acids (FAs) influence postprandial lipaemia. Hodson et al have published an extensive review on fatty acids as biomarkers [8] It shows that ALA is present in all the measured pools (total lipids, TAG, NEFA, phospholipids in plasma and platelets, and adipose tissue), but in small amount since the dietary intake is low
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