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Dietary conjugated linoleic acid did not alter immune status in young healthy women

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Lipids

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation in human diets would enhance indices of immune status as reported by others for animal models. Seventeen women, 20–41 yr, participated in a 93-d study conducted in two cohorts of 9 and 8 women at the Metabolic Research Unit of Western Human Nutrition Research Center. Seven subjects were fed the basal diet (19, 30 and 51% energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrate, respectively) throughout the study. The remaining 10 subjects were fed the basal diet for the first 30 d, followed by 3.9 g CLA (Tonalin)/d for the next 63 d. CLA made up 65% of the fatty acids in the Tonalin capsules, with the following isomeric composition: t10, c12, 22.6%; c11, t13, 23.6%; c9, t11, 17.6%; t8, c10, 16.6%; and other isomers 19.6%. Most indices of immune response were tested at weekly intervals, three times at the end of each period (stabilization/intervention); delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to a panel of six recall antigens was tested on study day 30 and 90; all subjects were immunized on study day 65 with an influenza vaccine, and antibody titers were examined in the sera collected on day 65 and 92. None of the indices of immune status tested (number of circulating white blood cells, granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, and their subsets, lymphocytes proliferation in response to phytohemagglutinin, and influenza vaccine, serum influenza antibody titers, and DTH response) were altered during the study in either dietary group. Thus, in contrast to the reports with animal models, CLA feeding to young healthy women did not alter any of the indices of immune status tested. These data suggest that short-term CLA supplementation in healthy volunteers is safe, but it does not have any added benefit to their immune status.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

body mass index

CD:

cluster differentiation

CLA:

conjugated linoleic acid

CI:

95% confidence intervals

CT:

cytotoxic T lymphocytes

DTH:

delayed-type hypersensitivity

GM:

geometric mean

IL:

interleukin

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

MRU:

metabolic research unit

NK:

natural killer

PBMNC:

peripheral blood mononuclear cells

PHA:

phytohemagglutinin

PPAR:

peroxisomal proliferation activation receptor

RDA:

recommended dietary allowance

TNF α:

tumor necrosis factor α

USDA:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

WBC:

white blood cells

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Human Nutrition Research Center, University of California, Department of Nutrition, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, One Shields Ave., 95616, Davis, California

    D. S. Kelley, P. C. Taylor, I. L. Rudolph, P. Benito & G. J. Nelson

  2. Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California

    B. E. Mackey

  3. Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California

    K. L. Erickson

Authors
  1. D. S. Kelley
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  2. P. C. Taylor
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  3. I. L. Rudolph
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  4. P. Benito
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  5. G. J. Nelson
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  6. B. E. Mackey
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  7. K. L. Erickson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. S. Kelley.

Additional information

Parts of data included here were published as an abstract for the Experimental Biology 2000, meeting.

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Kelley, D.S., Taylor, P.C., Rudolph, I.L. et al. Dietary conjugated linoleic acid did not alter immune status in young healthy women. Lipids 35, 1065–1071 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-000-0620-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-000-0620-0

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