Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation Study
Condition: Cardiovascular Disease
MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide resulting in one out of three
      global deaths. One of the main characteristics of cardiovascular disease is impaired blood
      flow and increased formation of clots. Platelets are clot-forming cells responsible for
      prevention of bleeding. However, in disease state they may be overly activated and tend to
      stick to each other, promoting blood clots and blockage of vessels.

      Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are unique fatty acids present in dairy food products and
      beef which would help to prevent platelets from clotting and thus help to prevent
      cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms by which those fatty acids affect platelet
      function are not yet fully understood. We designed a human intervention study assessing the
      mechanisms by which CLA beneficially affect platelet function and markers of haemostasis and
      inflammation in humans.
    

Detailed description: 
      Despite being trans fatty acids, dietary conjugated linoleic acids( CLA) have been associated
      with decreased atherogenesis, beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity , glucose and lipid
      profile and body composition in animal studies.Todate only few studies have studied the
      effects of the two individual CLA isomers on body composition , lipoprotein metabolism immune
      function , inflammation , insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress in humans.

      A previous study revealed that both cis9,trans11 and trans10,cis12 CLA, as well as CLA mix,
      significantly decreased agonist-induced platelet aggregation and TxB2 production ex vivo
      compared with linoleic acid. No effect on agonist-induced platelet aggregation or other blood
      clotting parameters in healthy female volunteers was observed upon supplementation with 3.9
      g/d CLA, compared with sunflower oil, but this may have been due to the low number of
      subjects participating in this study.

      Indeed, supplementation with 13.0 g/day of CLA mix - 50:50 blend, compared with placebo oil,
      significantly decreased fibrinogen levels in type 2 diabetes patients, and fibrinogen and
      plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels were significantly lower upon intervention with CLA
      milk (4.7 g/d cis9,trans11 CLA and 0.4 g/d trans10,cis12 CLA), compared with CLA mix (2.3 g/d
      cis9,trans11 CLA and 2.2 g/d trans10,cis12 CLA), and lower compared with olive oil, in
      postmenopausal women.Thus overall evidence indicates that especially the cis9,trans11 CLA
      isomer may prevent platelet activation and aggregation, and possibly display anticoagulant
      properties. However, so far this has not been assessed in detail.

      In this study we assess effects of supplementation of cis9,trans11 CLA-rich oil on platelet
      function by measuring not only platelet aggregation but also in vitro coagulation and
      platelet activation in healthy overweight humans. In addition, we examine the effects of CLA
      supplementation on plasma and cellular marker of inflammation and oxidative stress.
    

Intervention name(s): Placebo oil
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): Placebo oil of 4g/day
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Platelets; Platelet aggregation; Platelet activation; Platelet function; Light transmission aggregometry; Flow cytometry; Platelet function analyzer-100 (PFA-100); Linoleic acid, conjugated; cis9, trans11 conjugated linoleic acid; dietary supplement; short-term intervention