Non-fat milk solids attenuate hypercholesterolemic effect of conjugated linoleic acid

The present study instigates the notion that non-fat milk has a beneficial effect on hypercholesterolemia caused by dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Two groups of mice (6 per group) were fed synthetic CLA (predominantly a mixture of t10, c12 and c9, t11 isomers) at 1 % level in the diet with or without skim milk powder (SMP). Another group (control) was fed a similar diet without CLA and SMP. The study was conducted for 60 days (d). Daily feed intake and weekly body weight were recorded. Plasma lipid profile was determined monthly. At the conclusion of experiment, animals were sacrificed and liver tissue was removed to assay cholesterol and triacylglycerols (TAG). Following 60 day feeding, the plasma total cholesterol content increased significantly in CLA group (218 mg/dl) than in control group (167 mg/dl), while in CLA + SMP group (fed non-fat milk solids along with CLA), it was similar to that in control group. The fractions of high density lipoproteins (HDL) and low density lipoprotein + very low density lipoprotein (LDL + VLDL) cholesterol as well as triacylglycerols (TAG) in plasma increased in CLA group, but in CLA + SMP group it remained similar to the control levels. Thus, it is concluded that dietary CLA increases plasma cholesterol and TAG contents in mice on normocholesterolemic diet and the inclusion of non-fat milk solids reverses this effect.