Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation Study

Despite being trans fatty acids, dietary conjugated linoleic acids( CLA) have been associated with decreased atherogenesis, beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity , glucose and lipid profile and body composition in animal studies.Todate only few studies have studied the effects of the two individual CLA isomers on body composition , lipoprotein metabolism immune function , inflammation , insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress in humans. A previous study revealed that both cis9,trans11 and trans10,cis12 CLA, as well as CLA mix, significantly decreased agonist-induced platelet aggregation and TxB2 production ex vivo compared with linoleic acid. No effect on agonist-induced platelet aggregation or other blood clotting parameters in healthy female volunteers was observed upon supplementation with 3.9 g/d CLA, compared with sunflower oil, but this may have been due to the low number of subjects participating in this study. Indeed, supplementation with 13.0 g/day of CLA mix - 50:50 blend, compared with placebo oil, significantly decreased fibrinogen levels in type 2 diabetes patients, and fibrinogen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels were significantly lower upon intervention with CLA milk (4.7 g/d cis9,trans11 CLA and 0.4 g/d trans10,cis12 CLA), compared with CLA mix (2.3 g/d cis9,trans11 CLA and 2.2 g/d trans10,cis12 CLA), and lower compared with olive oil, in postmenopausal women.Thus overall evidence indicates that especially the cis9,trans11 CLA isomer may prevent platelet activation and aggregation, and possibly display anticoagulant properties. However, so far this has not been assessed in detail. In this study we assess effects of supplementation of cis9,trans11 CLA-rich oil on platelet function by measuring not only platelet aggregation but also in vitro coagulation and platelet activation in healthy overweight humans. In addition, we examine the effects of CLA supplementation on plasma and cellular marker of inflammation and oxidative stress.