Randomized controlled study of the effect of a butter naturally enriched in trans fatty acids on blood lipids in healthy women

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition 2012-02, Vol.95 (2), p.318-325
• Main Authors: Lacroix, Émilie, Charest, Amélie, Cyr, Audrey, Baril-Gravel, Lisa, Lebeuf, Yolaine, Paquin, Paul, Chouinard, P Yvan, Couture, Patrick, Lamarche, Benoît
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Butter; Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Clinical trials; Cross-Over Studies; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Double-Blind Method; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Lipids - blood; Middle Aged; Oleic Acids - pharmacology; Overweight - blood; Reference Values; Risk factors; Ruminants; Trans fats; Trans Fatty Acids - pharmacology; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.111.023408

Background: Whereas the negative effect of consuming trans fatty acids found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is well established, the effect of trans fatty acids from ruminant sources (rTFAs) on CVD risk factors has not yet been established, particularly among women. Objective: We investigated the effects of a butter naturally enriched in rTFAs, of which vaccenic acid is the predominant isomer, on plasma lipid concentrations among healthy women. Design: In a double-blind, randomized, crossover controlled study, 61 healthy women aged 19–70 y were fed 2 isoenergetic diets lasting 4 wk each. The 2 diets were defined as moderately high in rTFAs (3.7 g/d, 1.5% of daily energy) and control (0.9 g/d, 0.3% of daily energy). Results: No significant effect of the rTFA diet was found on total plasma cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, and triglyceride concentrations compared with the control diet. There was a small yet statistically significant reduction in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations with the rTFA diet (−2.8%; P = 0.004), which was significant (P for the BMI × treatment interaction = 0.006) among women with a BMI (in kg/m2) ≥25 (−5.2%; P = 0.004; n = 18) but not among women with a BMI