Regular vs Low alpha-Linolenic Acid Soy Oil
Obesity is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is associated with insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and cardiometabolic diseases. Several studies have linked consumption of diets high in oils to an increased incidence of obesity. In contrast, consumption of diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as soy oil, with its high content of linoleic and α-linolenic acids, is beneficial in reducing inflammation and serum lipid concentrations. Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids is also associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Soy oil is the vegetable oil consumed in the largest amounts in American diets. However, α-linolenic acid is rapidly degraded during processing and in storage due to its highly unsaturated structure. It oxidizes twice as quickly as linoleic acid [C18:2(n-6)] under stable conditions. Therefore, a low α-linolenic acid soy oil was developed to improve the shelf life of the oil. The low α-linolenic acid oil thus eliminates the requirement for hydrogenation of soy oil due to the overall reduction in the content of unsaturated bonds. The low α-linolenic oil contains less than 3% α-linolenic acid versus the 7% in conventional soy oil. Due to the alteration in the fatty acid composition of the low α-linolenic acid soy oil, it is important to study the effect of its consumption on major metabolic markers with respect to lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity and inflammatory status. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to compare the metabolic and inflammatory impact of consumption of low α-linolenic soy oil vs. regular soy oil.
Background
Obesity is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is associated with insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and cardiometabolic diseases. Several studies have linked consumption of diets high in oils to an increased incidence of obesity. In contrast, consumption of diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as soy oil, with its high content of linoleic and α-linolenic acids, is beneficial in reducing inflammation and serum lipid concentrations. Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids is also associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Soy oil is the vegetable oil consumed in the largest amounts in American diets. However, α-linolenic acid is rapidly degraded during processing and in storage due to its highly unsaturated structure. It oxidizes twice as quickly as linoleic acid [C18:2(n-6)] under stable conditions. Therefore, a low α-linolenic acid soy oil was developed to improve the shelf life of the oil. The low α-linolenic acid oil thus eliminates the requirement for hydrogenation of soy oil due to the overall reduction in the content of unsaturated bonds. The low α-linolenic oil contains less than 3% α-linolenic acid versus the 7% in conventional soy oil. Due to the alteration in the fatty acid composition of the low α-linolenic acid soy oil, it is important to study the effect of its consumption on major metabolic markers with respect to lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity and inflammatory status. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to compare the metabolic and inflammatory impact of consumption of low α-linolenic soy oil vs. regular soy oil.