Protein intake and bone mineral density: Cross-sectional relationship and longitudinal effects in older adults.

BACKGROUND: There are several mechanisms via which increased protein intake might maintain or improve bone mineral density (BMD), but current evidence for an association or effect is inconclusive. The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between dietary protein intake (total, plant and animal) with BMD (spine and total body) and the effects of protein supplementation on BMD. METHODS: Individual data from four trials that included either (pre-)frail, undernourished or healthy older adults (aged ≥65 years) were combined. Dietary intake was assessed with food records (2, 3 or 7 days) and BMD with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Associations and effects were assessed by adjusted linear mixed models. RESULTS: A total of 1570 participants [57% women, median (inter-quartile range): age 71 (68-75) years] for which at least total protein intake and total body BMD were known were included in cross-sectional analyses. In fully adjusted models, total protein intake was associated with higher total body and spine BMD [beta (95% confidence interval): 0.0011 (0.0006-0.0015) and 0.0015 (0.0007-0.0023) g/cm2 , respectively]. Animal protein intake was associated with higher total body and spine BMD as well [0.0011 (0.0007-0.0016) and 0.0017 (0.0010-0.0024) g/cm2 , respectively]. Plant protein intake was associated with a lower total body and spine BMD [-0.0010 (-0.0020 to -0.0001) and -0.0019 (-0.0034 to -0.0004) g/cm2 , respectively]. Associations were similar between sexes. Participants with a high ratio of animal to plant protein intake had higher BMD. In participants with an adequate calcium intake and sufficient serum 25(OH)D concentrations, the association between total protein intake with total body and spine BMD became stronger. Likewise, the association between animal protein intake with total body BMD was stronger. In the longitudinal analyses, 340 participants [58% women, median (inter-quartile range): age 75 (70-81) years] were included. Interventions of 12 or 24 weeks with protein supplementation or protein supplementation combined with resistance exercise did not lead to significant improvements in BMD. CONCLUSIONS: An association between total and animal protein intake with higher BMD was found. In contrast, plant protein intake was associated with lower BMD. Research is warranted to further investigate the added value of dietary protein alongside calcium and vitamin D for BMD improvement, especially in osteopenic or osteoporotic individuals. Moreover, more research on the impact of a plant-based diet on bone health is needed.

K-Clique Multiomics Framework: A Novel Protocol to Decipher the Role of Gut Microbiota Communities in Nutritional Intervention Trials.

The availability of omics data providing information from different layers of complex biological processes that link nutrition to human health would benefit from the development of integrated approaches combining holistically individual omics data, including those associated with the microbiota that impacts the metabolisation and bioavailability of food components. Microbiota must be considered as a set of populations of interconnected consortia, with compensatory capacities to adapt to different nutritional intake. To study the consortium nature of the microbiome, we must rely on specially designed data analysis tools. The purpose of this work is to propose the construction of a general correlation network-based explorative tool, suitable for nutritional clinical trials, by integrating omics data from faecal microbial taxa, stool metabolome (1H NMR spectra) and GC-MS for stool volatilome. The presented approach exploits a descriptive paradigm necessary for a true multiomics integration of data, which is a powerful tool to investigate the complex physiological effects of nutritional interventions.

Vitamin B-6 intake is related to physical performance in European older adults: results of the New Dietary Strategies Addressing the Specific Needs of the Elderly Population for Healthy Aging in Europe (NU-AGE) study.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance of high physical performance during aging might be supported by an adequate dietary intake of niacin, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folate because these B vitamins are involved in multiple processes related to muscle functioning. However, not much is known about the association between dietary intake of these B vitamins and physical performance. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between dietary intake of niacin, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folate and physical performance in older adults and to explore mediation by niacin status and homocysteine concentrations. METHODS: We used baseline data from the New Dietary Strategies Addressing the Specific Needs of the Elderly Population for Healthy Aging in Europe (NU-AGE) trial, which included n = 1249 healthy older adults (aged 65-79 y) with complete data on dietary intake measured with 7-d food records and questionnaires on vitamin supplement use and physical performance measured with the short physical performance battery and handgrip dynamometry. Associations were assessed by adjusted linear mixed models. RESULTS: Intake of vitamin B-6 was related to lower chair rise test time [ß: -0.033 ± 0.016 s (log); P = 0.043]. Vitamin B-6 intake was also significantly associated with handgrip strength, but for this association, a significant interaction effect between vitamin B-6 intake and physical activity level was found. In participants with the lowest level of physical activity, higher intake of vitamin B-6 tended to be associated with greater handgrip strength (ß: 1.5 ± 0.8 kg; P = 0.051), whereas in participants in the highest quartile of physical activity, higher intake was associated with lower handgrip strength (ß: -1.4 ± 0.7 kg; P = 0.041). No evidence was found for an association between intake of niacin, vitamin B-12, or folate and physical performance or for mediation by niacin status or homocysteine concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin B-6 intake was associated with better chair rise test time in a population of European healthy older adults and also with greater handgrip strength in participants with low physical activity only. Homocysteine concentrations did not mediate these associations. The NU-AGE trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01754012.

Milk polar lipids reduce lipid cardiovascular risk factors in overweight postmenopausal women: towards a gut sphingomyelin-cholesterol interplay.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether milk polar lipids (PL) impact human intestinal lipid absorption, metabolism, microbiota and associated markers of cardiometabolic health. DESIGN: A double-blind, randomised controlled 4-week study involving 58 postmenopausal women was used to assess the chronic effects of milk PL consumption (0, 3 or 5 g-PL/day) on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota. The acute effects of milk PL on intestinal absorption and metabolism of cholesterol were assessed in a randomised controlled crossover study using tracers in ileostomy patients. RESULTS: Over 4 weeks, milk PL significantly reduced fasting and postprandial plasma concentrations of cholesterol and surrogate lipid markers of cardiovascular disease risk, including total/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and apolipoprotein (Apo)B/ApoA1 ratios. The highest PL dose preferentially induced a decreased number of intestine-derived chylomicron particles. Also, milk PL increased faecal loss of coprostanol, a gut-derived metabolite of cholesterol, but major bacterial populations and faecal short-chain fatty acids were not affected by milk PL, regardless of the dose. Acute ingestion of milk PL by ileostomy patients shows that milk PL decreased cholesterol absorption and increased cholesterol-ileal efflux, which can be explained by the observed co-excretion with milk sphingomyelin in the gut. CONCLUSION: The present data demonstrate for the first time in humans that milk PL can improve the cardiometabolic health by decreasing several lipid cardiovascular markers, notably through a reduced intestinal cholesterol absorption involving specific interactions in the gut, without disturbing the major bacterial phyla of gut microbiota. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02099032 and NCT02146339; Results.

A Dietary Intervention of Bioactive Enriched Foods Aimed at Adults at Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: Protocol and Results from PATHWAY-27 Pilot Study.

Around a quarter of the global adult population have metabolic syndrome (MetS) and therefore increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and diabetes. Docosahexaenoic acid, oat beta-glucan and grape anthocyanins have been shown to be effective in reducing MetS risk factors when administered as isolated compounds, but their effect when administered as bioactive-enriched foods has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: The overall aim of the PATHWAY-27 project was to evaluate the effectiveness of bioactive-enriched food consumption on improving risk factors of MetS. A pilot study was conducted to assess which of five bioactive combinations provided within three different food matrices (bakery, dairy or egg) were the most effective in adult volunteers. The trial also evaluated the feasibility of production, consumer acceptability and gastrointestinal tolerance of the bioactive-enriched food. METHOD: The study included three monocentric, parallel-arm, double-blind, randomised, dietary intervention trials without a placebo. Each recruiting centre tested the five bioactive combinations within a single food matrix. RESULTS: The study was completed by 167 participants (74 male, 93 female). The results indicated that specific bioactive/matrix combinations have effects on serum triglyceride or HDL-cholesterol level without adverse effects. CONCLUSION: The study evidenced that bioactive-enriched food offers a promising food-based strategy for MetS prevention, and highlighted the importance of conducting pilot studies.

DHA-Induced Perturbation of Human Serum Metabolome. Role of the Food Matrix and Co-Administration of Oat ß-glucan and Anthocyanins.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been reported to have a positive impact on many diet-related disease risks, including metabolic syndrome. Although many DHA-enriched foods have been marketed, the impact of different food matrices on the effect of DHA is unknown. As well, the possibility to enhance DHA effectiveness through the co-administration of other bioactives has seldom been considered. We evaluated DHA effects on the serum metabolome administered to volunteers at risk of metabolic syndrome as an ingredient of three different foods. Foods were enriched with DHA alone or in combination with oat beta-glucan or anthocyanins and were administered to volunteers for 4 weeks. Serum samples collected at the beginning and end of the trial were analysed by NMR-based metabolomics. Multivariate and univariate statistical analyses were used to characterize modifications in the serum metabolome and to evaluate bioactive-bioactive and bioactive-food matrix interactions. DHA administration induces metabolome perturbation that is influenced by the food matrix and the co-presence of other bioactives. In particular, when co-administered with oat beta-glucan, DHA induces a strong rearrangement in the lipoprotein profile of the subjects. The observed modifications are consistent with clinical results and indicate that metabolomics represents a possible strategy to choose the most appropriate food matrices for bioactive enrichment.

Changes in Dietary Intake and Adherence to the NU-AGE Diet Following a One-Year Dietary Intervention among European Older Adults-Results of the NU-AGE Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean Diet has been proposed as an effective strategy to reduce inflammaging, a chronic low grade inflammatory status, and thus, to slow down the aging process. We evaluated whether a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern specifically targeting dietary recommendations of people aged over 65 years (NU-AGE diet) could be effective to shift dietary intake of older adults towards a healthful diet. METHODS: Adults aged 65⁻80 years across five EU-centers were randomly assigned to a NU-AGE diet group or control group. The diet group followed one year of NU-AGE dietary intervention specifying consumption of 15 food groups plus the use of a vitamin D supplement. Participants in the diet group received counselling and individually tailored dietary advice, food products and a vitamin D supplement. Dietary intake was assessed by means of seven-day food records at baseline and one-year follow-up. A continuous NU-AGE index (0⁻160 points) was developed to assess NU-AGE diet adherence. RESULTS: In total 1296 participants were randomized and 1141 participants completed the intervention (571 intervention, 570 control). After one year, the diet group improved mean intake of 13 out of 16 NU-AGE dietary components (p < 0.05), with a significant increase in total NU-AGE index (difference in mean change = 21.3 ± 15.9 points, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The NU-AGE dietary intervention, based on dietary recommendations for older adults, consisting of individual dietary counselling, free healthy foods and a vitamin D supplement, may be a feasible strategy to improve dietary intake in an aging European population.

A Mediterranean-like dietary pattern with vitamin D3 (10 µg/d) supplements reduced the rate of bone loss in older Europeans with osteoporosis at baseline: results of a 1-y randomized controlled trial.

Background: The Mediterranean diet (MD) is widely recommended for the prevention of chronic disease, but evidence for a beneficial effect on bone health is lacking. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern [NU-AGE (New Dietary Strategies Addressing the Specific Needs of the Elderly Population for Healthy Aging in Europe)] on indexes of inflammation with a number of secondary endpoints, including bone mineral density (BMD) and biomarkers of bone and collagen degradation in a 1-y multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT; NU-AGE) in elderly Europeans. Design: An RCT was undertaken across 5 European centers. Subjects in the intervention group consumed the NU-AGE diet for 1 y by receiving individually tailored dietary advice, coupled with supplies of foods including whole-grain pasta, olive oil, and a vitamin D3 supplement (10 µg/d). Participants in the control group were provided with leaflets on healthy eating available in their country. Results: A total of 1294 participants (mean ± SD age: 70.9 ±4.0 y; 44% male) were recruited to the study and 1142 completed the 1-y trial. The Mediterranean-like dietary pattern had no effect on BMD (site-specific or whole-body); the inclusion of compliance to the intervention in the statistical model did not change the findings. There was also no effect of the intervention on the urinary biomarkers free pyridinoline or free deoxypyridinoline. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D significantly increased and parathyroid hormone decreased (P < 0.001) in the MD compared with the control group. Subgroup analysis of individuals with osteoporosis at baseline (site-specific BMD T-score ≤ -2.5 SDs) showed that the MD attenuated the expected decline in femoral neck BMD (n = 24 and 30 in MD and control groups, respectively; P = 0.04) but had no effect on lumbar spine or whole-body BMD. Conclusions: A 1-y intervention of the Mediterranean-like diet together with vitamin D3 supplements (10 µg/d) had no effect on BMD in the normal age-related range, but it significantly reduced the rate of loss of bone at the femoral neck in individuals with osteoporosis. The NU-AGE trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01754012.

Rapeseed oil fortified with micronutrients can reduce glucose intolerance during a high fat challenge in rats.

BACKGROUND: Better choices of dietary lipid sources and substitution of refined by fortified oils could reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids (FA) and increase the intake of omega 3 FA concomitantly to healthy bioactive compounds. METHODS: The development of obesity and metabolic disturbances was explored in rats fed during 11 weeks with a high fat diet (HFD) in which the amount of saturated and polyunsaturated FA was respectively reduced and increased, using rapeseed oil as lipid source. This oil was used in a refined form (R) or fortified (10 fold increase in concentration) with endogenous micronutrients (coenzyme Q10 + tocopherol only (RF) only and also with canolol (RFC)). The effect of substituting palm by rapeseed oil was analysed using a student t test, oil fortification was analysed using ANOVA statistical test. RESULTS: Despite a similar weight gain, diets R, RF and RFC improved glucose tolerance (+ 10%) of the rats compared to a standard HFD with palm and sunflower oils as lipid source. Plasma glucose was lowered in RF and RFC groups (- 15 and 23% respectively), although triacylglycerol level was only reduced in group RFC (- 33%) compared to R. The fortification with canolol promoted the activation of Akt and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue respectively. Canolol supplementation also led to reduce p38 MAPK activation in skeletal muscle. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the presence of endogenous micronutrients in rapeseed oil promotes cellular adaptations to reverse glucose intolerance and improve the metabolism of insulin sensitive tissues.

Dietary canolol protects the heart against the deleterious effects induced by the association of rapeseed oil, vitamin E and coenzyme Q10 in the context of a high-fat diet.

BACKGROUND: Obesity progressively leads to cardiac failure. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been shown to have cardio-protective effects in numerous pathological situations. It is not known whether rapeseed oil, which contains α-linolenic acid (ALA), has a similar protective effect. Omega-3 PUFAs are sensitive to attack by reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lipid peroxidation products could damage cardiac cells. We thus tested whether dietary refined rapeseed oil (RSO) associated with or without different antioxidants (vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and canolol) is cardio-protective in a situation of abdominal obesity. METHODS: Sixty male Wistar rats were subdivided into 5 groups. Each group was fed a specific diet for 11 weeks: a low-fat diet (3% of lipids, C diet) with compositionally-balanced PUFAs; a high-fat diet rich in palm oil (30% of lipids, PS diet); the PS diet in which 40% of lipids were replaced by RSO (R diet); the R diet supplemented with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and vitamin E (RTC diet); and the RTC diet supplemented with canolol (RTCC diet). At the end of the diet period, the rats were sacrificed and the heart was collected and immediately frozen. Fatty acid composition of cardiac phospholipids was then determined. Several features of cardiac function (fibrosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis) were also estimated. RESULTS: Abdominal obesity reduced cardiac oxidative stress and apoptosis rate by increasing the proportion of arachidonic acid (AA) in membrane phospholipids. Dietary RSO had the same effect, though it normalized the proportion of AA. Adding vitamin E and CoQ10 in the RSO-rich high fat diet had a deleterious effect, increasing fibrosis by increasing angiotensin-2 receptor-1b (Ag2R-1b) mRNA expression. Overexpression of these receptors triggers coronary vasoconstriction, which probably induced ischemia. Canolol supplementation counteracted this deleterious effect by reducing coronary vasoconstriction. CONCLUSION: Canolol was found to counteract the fibrotic effects of vitamin E + CoQ10 on cardiac fibrosis in the context of a high-fat diet enriched with RSO. This effect occurred through a restoration of cardiac Ag2R-1b mRNA expression and decreased ischemia.

Production of trans and conjugated fatty acids in dairy ruminants and their putative effects on human health: A review.

Consumption of milk and dairy products is important in Western industrialised countries. Fat content is an important constituent contributing to the nutritional quality of milk and dairy products. In order to improve the health of consumers, there is high interest in improving their fatty acid (FA) composition, which depends principally on rumen and mammary metabolism. This paper reviews the lipid metabolism in ruminants, with a particular focus on the production of trans and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and conjugated linolenic acids (CLnA) in the rumen. After the lipolysis of dietary lipids, an extensive biohydrogenation of unsaturated FA occurs by rumen bacteria, leading to numerous cis and trans isomers of 18:1, non-conjugated of 18:2, CLA and CLnA. The paper examines the different putative pathways of ruminal biohydrogenation of cis9-18:1, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3 and long-chain FA and the bacteria implicated. Then mechanisms relative to the de novo mammary synthesis are presented. Ruminant diet is the main factor regulating the content and the composition of milk fat. Effects of nature of forage and lipid supplementation are analysed in cows and small ruminants species. Finally, the paper briefly presents the effects of these FA on animal models and human cell lines. We describe the properties of ruminant trans 18:1, when compared to industrial trans 18:1, CLA and CLnA on human health from meta-analyses of intervention studies and then explore the underlying mechanisms.

N-3PUFA differentially modulate palmitate-induced lipotoxicity through alterations of its metabolism in C2C12 muscle cells.

Excessive energy intake leads to fat overload and the formation of lipotoxic compounds mainly derived from the saturated fatty acid palmitate (PAL), thus promoting insulin resistance (IR) in skeletal muscle. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFA) may prevent lipotoxicity and IR. The purpose of this study was to examine the differential effects of n-3PUFA on fatty acid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in muscle cells. C2C12 myotubes were treated with 500 µM of PAL without or with 50 µM of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for 16 h. PAL decreased insulin-dependent AKT activation and glucose uptake and increased the synthesis of ceramides and diglycerides (DG) derivatives, leading to protein kinase Cθ activation. EPA and DHA, but not ALA, prevented PAL-decreased AKT activation but glucose uptake was restored to control values by all n-3PUFA vs. PAL. Total DG and ceramide contents were decreased by all n-3PUFA, but only EPA and DHA increased PAL ß-oxidation, decreased PAL incorporation into DG and reduced protein kinase Cθ activation. EPA and DHA emerge as better candidates than ALA to improve fatty acid metabolism in skeletal muscle cells, notably via their ability to increase mitochondrial ß-oxidation.

Comparison of postprandial oleic acid, 9c,11t CLA and 10t,12c CLA oxidation in healthy moderately overweight subjects.

Few studies report the individual effect of 9c,11t- and 10t,12c-CLA on human energy metabolism. We compared the postprandial oxidative metabolism of 9c,11t- and 10t,12c-CLA and oleic acid (9c-18:1) in 22 healthy moderately overweight volunteers. After 24 weeks supplementation with 9c,11t-, 10t,12c-CLA or 9c-18:1 (3 g/day), subjects consumed a single oral bolus of the appropriate [1-(13)C]-labeled fatty acid. 8 h post-dose, cumulative oxidation was similar for 9c-18:1 and 10t,12c (P = 0.66), but significantly higher for 9c,11t (P < 0.01).

High-magnesium concentration and cytokine production in human whole blood model.

The potential influence of magnesium (Mg) on inflammatory responses was assessed using an ex vivo model--human whole blood incubated with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Addition of LPS leads to higher levels of cytokines including TNF-alpha and IL-6. No significant effect of Mg was observed following LPS stimulation whereas high concentration of Mg inhibited the baseline level (without LPS) of TNF-alpha and IL-6 production. This observation contrasts with that of a previous one on Mg-deficient animals. Therefore, the weak efficiency of increasing Mg concentration in this study on the whole blood from healthy volunteers suggests that the efficiency of Mg supplementation on cytokine production induced by endotoxin challenge depends on Mg status.

Effects of specific CLA isomers on plasma fatty acid profile and expression of desaturases in humans.

Human studies suggest that CLA changes metabolism, possibly through effects on mRNA expression of desaturase and elongase enzymes. In this respect, differential effects of the two most common dietary CLA isomers, cis-9,trans-11 (c9,t11) and trans-10,cis-12 (t10,c12) CLA, have hardly been studied. We therefore gave 25 healthy, overweight men and women daily for 6 wk a drinkable dairy product containing 3 g of oil that was rich in oleic acid. For the next 18 wk, the control group (n = 7) continued to use this product, whereas the second (n = 9) and third groups (n = 9) received products with 3 g of purified c9,t11 CLA or t10,c12 CLA. For each gram of c9,t11 CLA consumed, the proportion in plasma phospholipids increased by 0.26%. For t10, c12 CLA, this value was 0.20%. The t10,c12 CLA isomer increased plasma TAG levels of conjugated 18:3, whereas c9,t11 CLA increased those of both conjugated 18:3 and 20:3. In plasma phospholipids, the delta9 desaturation index of 18:0 (18:1 n-9/18:0) was decreased by t10,c12 CLA (P= 0.03 for diet effects), and the delta6 desaturation index [(18:3n-6 + 20:3n-6)/18:2n-6] was decreased by both CLA isomers (P < 0.01 for diet effects). The delta5 desaturation index (20:4n-6/20:3n-6) and the delta9 desaturation index of 16:0 (16:1 n-7/16:0) were not affected. No effects were seen on mRNA expression of desaturases and elongase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). We therefore conclude that incorporation of c9,t11 and t10,c12 CLA into plasma lipids reflects dietary intakes. Compared with oleic acid, delta9 and delta6 desaturation indices in plasma phospholipids are decreased after consumption of c9,t11 or t10,c12 CLA. Effects on desaturation indices were, however, not reflected by changes at the transcriptional level for the various desaturases and elongase enzymes in PBMC.

Effects of two conjugated linoleic Acid isomers on body fat mass in overweight humans.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of two different conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers at two different intakes on body composition in overweight humans. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Eighty-one middle-aged, overweight, healthy men and women participated in this bicentric, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study. For 6 weeks (run-in period), all subjects consumed daily a drinkable dairy product containing 3 g of high oleic acid sunflower oil. Volunteers were then randomized over five groups receiving daily either 3 g of high oleic acid sunflower oil, 1.5 g of cis-9,trans-11 (c9t11) CLA, 3 g of c9t11 CLA, 1.5 g of trans-10,cis-12 (t10c12) CLA, or 3 g of t10c12 CLA administrated as triacylglycerol in a drinkable dairy product for 18 weeks. Percentage body fat mass and fat and lean body mass were assessed at the end of the run-in and experimental periods by DXA. Dietary intake was also recorded. RESULTS: Body fat mass changes averaged 0.1 +/- 0.9 kg (mean +/- SD) in the placebo group and -0.3 +/- 1.4, -0.8 +/- 2.1, 0.0 +/- 2.3, and -0.9 +/- 1.7 kg in the 1.5-g c9t11, 3-g c9t11, 1.5-g t10c12, and 3-g t10c12 groups, respectively. Changes among the groups were not significantly different (p = 0.444). Also, lean body mass and dietary intake were not significantly different among the treatments. DISCUSSION: A daily consumption of a drinkable dairy product containing up to 3 g of CLA isomers for 18 weeks had no statistically significant effect on body composition in overweight, middle-aged men and women.