image: This is a canola plant. view more
Credit: UGRdivulga
A team of scientists from the University of Granada (UGR), the Research and Development Functional Food Centre (CIDAF, from its abbreviation in Spanish, centre in which the UGR collaborates with other companies and institutions) and the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at Canada has shown that consuming canola oil (an improved form of rapeseed, with less than 2% erucic acid) enriched with Omega-3 reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Researchers have once again proven that the famous Omega-3 is a potent regulator of cholesterol metabolism. This time, scientists analyzed the plasma from 84 volunteer patients, who presented at least one symptom of metabolic syndrome, after eating different types of oils with different fatty acid composition.
That way, they found that said fatty acid reduces the PCSK9 concentration in plasma. PCSK9 is a protein associated with high levels of LDL cholesterol in blood and with other cardiovascular diseases. The consumption of high oleic, Omega-3 enriched canola oil not only significantly reduced the concentration of triglycerides, but also resulted in a significant reduction (a 10%) of the PCSK9 protein concentration in plasma, compared to the other dietary treatments.
The mechanism of action of this protein is based on the destruction of the receptors of LDL cholesterol, preventing the uptake of LDL by the cells and increasing their plasma concentrations, resulting in an increased risk of atherosclerosis and other related diseases.
These results, from the trial called "Canola Oil Multicentre Trial Intervention (COMIT)", represent the first line of scientific evidence on changes in the PCSK9 protein plasma concentration after ingestion of different types of fat from the diet.
[Link to the study: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01233778].
"In conclusion, we can state that although the mechanism of action for the consumption of different fatty acids on plasma concentrations of PCSK9 is being investigated, we should not forget the importance of dietary fat in the prevention of the risk of cardiovascular diseases" Celia Rodríguez, UGR and CIDAF researcher, lead author of the study, says.
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The results from this work have been presented at the Conference from International Academy of Nutrition and Aging and the International Experimental Biology Conference, and they have been published in two international journals: Lipids and Vascular Pharmacology.
Journal
Vascular Pharmacology