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 .
Reduction of Inflammatory Cytokine Concentrations and Improvement of Endothelial Functions in Obese Women After Weight Loss Over One Year
Background —Visceral fat is a key regulator site for the process of inflammation , and atherosclerotic lesions are essentially an inflammatory response . Methods and Results —Fifty-six healthy premenopausal obese women ( age range 25 to 44 years , body mass index 37.2±2.2 , waist to hip ratio range 0.78 to 0.92 ) and 40 age-matched normal weight women were studied . Compared with nonobese women , obese women had increased basal concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-&agr ; ( TNF-&agr ; , P < 0.01 ) , interleukin-6 ( IL-6 , P < 0.01 ) , P-selectin ( P < 0.01 ) , intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( ICAM-1 , P < 0.02 ) , and vascular adhesion molecule-1 ( VCAM-1 , P < 0.05 ) . Vascular responses to l-arginine ( 3 g IV ) , the natural precursor of nitric oxide , were impaired in obese women : reductions in mean blood pressure ( P < 0.02 ) , platelet aggregation to adenosine diphosphate ( P < 0.05 ) , and blood viscosity ( P < 0.05 ) were significantly lower as compared with those in the nonobese group . Concentrations of TNF-&agr ; and IL-6 were related ( P < 0.01 ) to visceral obesity , as well as to adhesin levels and responses to l-arginine . After 1 year of a multidisciplinary program of weight reduction ( diet , exercise , behavioral counseling ) , all obese women  lost at least 10 % of their original weight ( 9.8±1.5 kg , range 7.5 to 13 kg ) . Compared with baseline , sustained weight loss was associated with reduction of cytokine ( P < 0.01 ) and adhesin ( P < 0.02 ) concentrations and with improvement of vascular responses to l-arginine . Conclusion —In obese women , endothelial activation correlates with visceral body fat , possibly through inappropriate secretion of cytokines . Weight loss represents a safe method for downregulating the inflammatory state and ameliorating endothelial dysfunction in obese women
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 .