CLA May Improve Antibody Production

CLA May Improve Antibody Production

VLAARDINGEN, The Netherlands--Conjugated linoleicacid (CLA) may help a person respond better to the hepatitis B vaccination,according to a study printed in the April issue of the European Journal ofClinical Nutrition (57, 4:595-603, 2003) (www.nature.com/ejcn).Researchers from the Unilever Health Institute noted this effect was seen in a50:50 CLA mixture composed in equal parts of two CLA isomers--half c9,t11 andhalf t10,c12--but not in an 80:20 group, composed mainly of c9,t11.

Researchers randomly assigned 71 healthy men to receive eitherplacebo, 1.7 g/d of CLA fatty acids (50:50) or 1.6 g/d of CLA glycerides (80:20)for 12 weeks. The men were also vaccinated against hepatitis B. Almost twice asmany men in the fatty acid group reached protective antibody levels compared tomen in the placebo group, although this result was not seen in the glyceridesgroup.

This study was sponsored by Loders Croklaan Lipid Nutrition,which also provided the CLA. According to the company (www.lipidnutrition.com),results of the next phase of this research were presented at both the AmericanOil Chemists' Society meeting, held May 4 to 7 in Kansas City, Kan., andSupplySide East Conference & Trade Show, held May 5 to 7 in Secaucus, N.J.