Interesterified fats rich in palmitic and stearic acids have comparable effects on selected inflammatory related biomarkers

Background/Objective: Trans fatty acids (TFA), a by-product of partial hydrogenation, have been proven to contribute significant adverse effects on human health. Interesterification has been used as an alternative to hardening edible oils instead of partial hydrogenation. There are limited reports of the impacts of interesterified fat consumption on inflammatory biomarkers. We compared the effects of chemically interesterified fats rich in palmitic (CIEPO) and stearic acid (CIEBlend) with native palm olein (POo) diets on selected inflammatory related biomarkers of 90 healthy adults. Methods: We used a double-blind, parallel feeding intervention trial using 50 g of each test fat in the form of margarine, separately incorporated into two servings of snacks for breakfast and afternoon tea daily for eight weeks. Blood samples were collected at baseline, zero-, sixth- and eighth-week. Results: POo-, CIEPO- and CIEBlend-diets produce no significant difference in the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), visfatin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Conclusions: The finding suggests that the long-term effects of these three fats on these selected inflammatory related biomarkers are similar. Trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/, NCT02192047, 2014-07-15.

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