The Effects of Linoleic Acid on Lipid Risk Markers for Cardiovascular Disease
Abstract Objectives Review human intervention trials that investigated the effects of linoleic acid (LA), the essential omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), on lipid risk markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in healthy individuals. These major lipid risk markers include high serum concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very-low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), and low serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), as well as lipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein A1 (associated with HDL), and apolipoprotein B (associated with LDL). The mechanisms by which LA affects these lipid risk markers and dietary recommendations for LA in decreasing lipid risk markers are discussed. Methods PubMed was used to search for peer-reviewed journal articles on the effects of LA on lipid risk markers for cardiovascular disease in healthy individuals. The search process took place from April to June of 2020. Articles were included if the amount of LA consumed, in grams or percentage of energy, was discussed in relation to cardiovascular disease during an intervention trial. Observational, postprandial and animal studies were excluded. Results According to reviewed human intervention trials, the following were the major findings: 1) LA decreased total cholesterol compared to diets not containing significant amounts of PUFAs; 2) LA decreased LDL-C compared to saturated fatty acids; 3) LA decreased VLDL-C compared to oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA); 4) there were inconsistent results regarding LA consumption on TGs; and 5) HDL-C did not differ compared to oleic acid. Conclusions A dietary strategy to decrease CVD risk factors is to replace a portion of saturated fatty acids with MUFAs and PUFAs. To our knowledge, this is the first review to demonstrate that consumption of LA decreases lipid risk markers for CVD in healthy individuals during intervention trials. Therefore, it is recommended to incorporate adequate sources of LA, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds into the diet to decrease lipid risk markers for CVD. Funding Sources No funding was used for this project.