Subgroup analysis revealed that increasing dietary ALA tends to elevate CRP concentration  in healthy subjects .
However , the null effect of ALA supplementation on other inflammatory markers was not changed in various subgroups , indicating that the results are stable .
Meta-regression results revealed a negative relationship between the effect size on CRP and its baseline concentration .
No significant publication bias was observed for all inflammatory markers as suggested by funnel plot and Begg ’s test .
Conclusion Our meta- analysis did not find any beneficial effect of ALA supplementation  on reducing inflammatory markers including TNF , IL-6 , CRP , sICAM-1 , and sVCAM-1 .
However , in healthy subjects  , ALA supplementation might increase CRP concentration
Purpose The aim of the current meta- analysis was to investigate the effect of increasing dietary ALA intake on the blood concentration of inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor ( TNF ) , interleukin 6 ( IL-6 ) , C-reactive protein ( CRP ) , soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( sICAM-1 ) , and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 ( sVCAM-1 )  in adults .
The effect of diet enriched with alpha-linolenic acid on soluble cellular adhesion molecules in dyslipidaemic patients.
BACKGROUND Leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration , the critical pathogenic components in the development of atherosclerotic lesions , are largely mediated by cellular adhesion molecules ( CAMs ) . We examined whether dietary supplementation with alpha-linolenic acid ( ALA , 18:3n-3 ) affects the levels of soluble forms of CAMs in dyslipidaemic patients . METHODS We recruited 90 male dyslipidaemic patients ( mean age=51+/-8 years ) following a typical Greek diet . They were r and omly assigned either to 15 ml of linseed oil ( rich in ALA ) per day ( n=60 ) or to 15 ml of safflower oil ( rich in linoleic acid [ LA , 18:2n-6 ] ) per day ( n=30 ) . The ratio of n-6:n-3 in linseed oil supplemented group was 1.3:1 and in safflower oil supplemented group 13.2:1 . Dietary intervention lasted for 12 weeks . Blood lipids , soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( sICAM-1 ) , soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 ( sVCAM-1 ) and soluble E-selectin ( sE-selectin ) were measured . RESULTS Dietary supplementation with ALA significantly decreased sVCAM-1 levels ( median decrease 18.7 % [ 577.5 ng/ml versus 487 ng/ml , P=0.0001 ] ) . In the LA supplemented group , sVCAM-1 was also significantly decreased but to a lesser extent ( median decrease 10.6 % [ 550.5 ng/ml versus 496 ng/ml , P=0.0001 ] ) . After controlling for smoking habits , no significant difference was observed in the reduction of sVCAM-1 levels between the two treatment arms ( P=0.205 ) . The decrease of sVCAM-1 was independent of lipid changes in both groups . CONCLUSIONS Dietary supplementation with ALA for 12 weeks significantly decreases sVCAM-1 levels in dyslipidaemic patients . This effect presents a potential mechanism for the beneficial effect of plant n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the prevention of coronary artery disease . In addition , dietary supplementation with LA significantly decreases sVCAM-1 levels , an effect which requires further investigation
Subgroup analysis revealed that increasing dietary ALA tends to elevate CRP concentration  in healthy subjects .
However , the null effect of ALA supplementation on other inflammatory markers was not changed in various subgroups , indicating that the results are stable .
Meta-regression results revealed a negative relationship between the effect size on CRP and its baseline concentration .
No significant publication bias was observed for all inflammatory markers as suggested by funnel plot and Begg ’s test .
Conclusion Our meta- analysis did not find any beneficial effect of ALA supplementation  on reducing inflammatory markers including TNF , IL-6 , CRP , sICAM-1 , and sVCAM-1 .
However , in healthy subjects  , ALA supplementation might increase CRP concentration
Purpose The aim of the current meta- analysis was to investigate the effect of increasing dietary ALA intake on the blood concentration of inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor ( TNF ) , interleukin 6 ( IL-6 ) , C-reactive protein ( CRP ) , soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( sICAM-1 ) , and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 ( sVCAM-1 )  in adults .