Key Findings:
GLP-1 is an incretin hormone secreted from intestinal L cells after eating. GLP-1 exerts powerful cardioprotective effects. In animal trials, the greatest increases in this hormone occurred following ALA intake. In a rat study, long-term administration (four weeks) of ALA was shown to raise GLP-1 levels through GPR1 activation, indicating that daily ALA exposure is capable of increasing levels of endogenous GLP-1. The authors indicate the these positive effect on GLP-1 may be responsible of the reductions in CVD risk observed after ALA.
ABSTRACT:
This is an editorial commentary that discusses the important health effects of alpha-Linolenic acid especially as related to the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is a short commentary that stresses that in meta-analysis of observational studies, ALA was shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The analysis included 27 original studies with 251,049 individuals and 15,372 events. The overall pooled relative risk (RR) was 0.86. The association was significant for dietary ALA and near-significant in the ALA biomarker studies. ALA may exert beneficial effects on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, thrombosis, arrhythmias, endothelial function and inflammatory factors. The authors present an argument that one metabolic factor; glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) may be an important mediator of ALA’s effects. (Abstract)
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