title: Consumption of an oil composed of medium chain triacyglycerols, phytosterols, and N-3 fatty acids improves cardiovascular risk profile in overweight women.
abstract: Medium chain triacylglycerols (MCT) have been suggested as efficacious in weight management because they possess greater thermogenic qualities relative to long chain triacylglycerols; however, MCT may also increase circulating lipid concentrations, possibly increasing risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present objective was to examine the effect of a diet supplemented with a functional oil (FctO) composed of energy expenditure-enhancing MCT (50% of fat), cholesterol-lowering phytosterols (22 mg/kg body weight), and triacylglycerol-suppressing n-3 fatty acids (5% of fat), versus a beef tallow-based diet (BT), on plasma lipid and aminothiol concentrations. In a randomized, single-blind, crossover design, partially-inpatient trial, 17 overweight women consumed each oil as part of a controlled, supervised, targeted energy balance diet for 27 days, with 4 or 8 weeks of washout between phases. Mean plasma total cholesterol concentration was lower (P <.0001), by 9.1%, on FctO (4.37 +/- 0.20 mmol/L) versus BT (4.80 +/- 0.20 mmol/L). Mean plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was also lower (P <.0001) following FctO (2.39 +/- 0.15 mmol/L) versus BT (2.86 +/- 0.16 mmol/L), representing a 16.0% difference between diets. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and circulating triacylglycerol concentrations remained unaffected by treatment. Ratios of HDL:LDL and HDL:total cholesterol were higher (P <.01) by 22.0% and 11.0%, respectively, on FctO versus BT. Plasma total homocysteine remained unchanged with FctO, but decreased (P <.05) with control, hence higher (P <.05) end points were observed with FctO (6.95 +/- 0.33 micromol/L) versus BT (6.27 +/- 0.28 micromol/L). Plasma glutathione increased (P <.05) by 0.44 micromol/L with FctO supplementation. In conclusion, despite equivocal effects on homocysteine levels, consumption of a functional oil composed of MCT, phytosterols, and n-3 fatty acids for 27 days improves the overall cardiovascular risk profile of overweight women.
authors.affiliation: School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bourque
authors.forename: Marie-Pierre
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: St-Onge
authors.forename: Andrea A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Papamandjaris
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: Peter J H
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009821:Oils; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004338:Drug Combinations; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D009821:Oils; D010840:Phytosterols; D014280:Triglycerides; D006710:Homocysteine; D002784:Cholesterol