Dietary alpha-linolenic acid is as effective as oleic acid and linoleic acid in lowering blood cholesterol in normolipidemic men.

The effect of dietary oleic acid (OA), linoleic acid (LA), and linolenic acid (LNA) on plasma lipid metabolism was studied in eight normolipidemic men. A mixed-fat diet composed of conventional foods was fed during 6-d pre- and post-experimental periods. The same basic diet but with 75% of the fat (26% of total energy) provided by sunflower and olive; canola; soybean; and sunflower, olive, and flax oils was fed during four 18-d experimental periods. Mean plasma total cholesterol (-18%), low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol, (-22%) and very-low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (-41%) concentrations were significantly (P less than 0.004) lower after the experimental diets than after the mixed-fat diet. Mean serum apolipoprotein B (-19%) and apolipoprotein A-I (-9%) concentrations were also significantly (P less than 0.0007) lower after the experimental diets. The experimental diets were equally effective in lowering total and lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein concentrations in plasma, indicating that dietary OA, LA, and LNA were equally hypocholesterolemic.