title: Effect of trans fatty acid intake on abdominal and liver fat deposition and blood lipids: a randomized trial in overweight postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs) is, according to observational studies, associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the causal mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Besides inducing dyslipidemia, TFA intake is suspected to promote abdominal and liver fat deposition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined the effect of a high intake of TFA as part of an isocaloric diet on whole-body, abdominal and hepatic fat deposition, and blood lipids in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a 16-week double-blind parallel intervention study, 52 healthy overweight postmenopausal women were randomized to receive either partially hydrogenated soybean oil providing 15.7 g day(-1) of TFA or a control oil with mainly oleic and palmitic acid. Before and after the intervention, body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, abdominal fat by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and liver fat by (1)H MR spectroscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control fat, TFA intake decreased plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol by 10%, increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol by 18% and resulted in an increased LDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio (baseline adjusted mean (95% CI) difference between diet groups 0.41 (0.22; 0.60); P<0.001). TFA tended to increase the body fat (0.46 (-0.20; 1.17) kg; P=0.16) and waist circumference (1.1 (-0.1; 2.4) cm; P=0.08) more than the control fat, whereas neither abdominal nor liver fat deposition was affected by TFA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The adverse effect of dietary TFA on cardiovascular disease risk involves induction of dyslipidemia, and perhaps body fat, whereas weight gain-independent accumulation of ectopic fat could not be identified as a contributory factor during short-term intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Bendsen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chabanova
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stender
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dyerberg
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Haugaard
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astrup