Supplementation of Enriched Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and CLA Cheese on High Fat Diet: Effects on Lipid Metabolism and Fat Profile

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between dietary fat intake and the onset of several metabolic diseases. This association is particularly evident in a diet rich in saturated fatty acids, typical of animal foods, such as dairy products. However, these foods are the main source of fatty acids with a proven nutraceutical effect, such as the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which have demonstrated important roles in the prevention of various diseases. In the present study, the effect of a supplementation with cheese enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and CLA on the metabolism and lipid profiles of C57bl/6 mice was evaluated. In particular, the analyses were conducted on different tissues, such as liver, muscle, adipose tissue and brain, known for their susceptibility to the effects of dietary fats. Supplementing cheese enriched in CLA and omega-3 fats reduced the level of saturated fat and increased the content of CLA and ALA in all tissues considered, except for the brain. Furthermore, the consumption of this cheese resulted in a tissue-specific response in the expression levels of genes involved in lipid and mitochondrial metabolism. As regards genes involved in the inflammatory response, the consumption of enriched cheese resulted in a reduction in the expression of inflammatory genes in all tissues analyzed. Considering the effects that chronic inflammation associated with a high-calorie and high-fat diet (meta-inflammation) or aging (inflammaging) has on the onset of chronic degenerative diseases, these data could be of great interest as they indicate the feasibility of modulating inflammation (thus avoiding/delaying these pathologies) with a nutritional and non-pharmacological intervention.

Automated summary

Epidemiological studies have shown a positive relationship between dietary fat intake and the onset of metabolic diseases. In this study, the effect of supplementation with cheese enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and CLA on metabolism and lipid profiles of mice was evaluated. The results showed that the enriched cheese reduced saturated fat levels and increased CLA and ALA content in all tissues except the brain. Furthermore, the consumption of enriched cheese resulted in a reduction in the expression of inflammatory genes in all analyzed tissues. These findings indicate the feasibility of using nutritional interventions to modulate inflammation and prevent or delay chronic degenerative diseases.