The impact of PUFA-enriched yogurt consumption on cardiovascular risk markers: A review

Background

Yogurt, as one of the mass consumption dairy products worldwide, has been made a carrier of bioactive compounds, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Since cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide dietary trends, including PUFAs-enriched yogurts, can be used to address this public health issue and contribute to a better healthcare.

Objective

This work describes the effects of the consumption of yogurt enriched with PUFAs on cardiovascular biomarkers.

Methods

A systematic review following the PRISMA methodology was done by gathering relevant published randomized controlled trials in adult population from 2000 to 2021 through Cochrane, PubMed, and Scopus. To control bias, we examined Cochrane Handbook recommendations.

Results

In the works reviewed, PUFAs-functionalized yogurt led to a reduction of triglycerides (TG) in plasma and an increase in the expression of the peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). PUFA supplementation in yogurt did not alter body weight or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) plasma levels. A dose of 200 g/d of PUFAs-enriched yogurt (PUFAs content range between 0.64% and 16.02% w/w) was identified. Among the tested PUFA sources (plant, seaweed, and animal), with which yogurt was supplemented, fish oil resulted in the best cardiovascular health benefits across interventions.

Conclusions

Although, all of the reviewed interventions with PUFAs- functionalized yogurt revealed variable effects on cardiovascular health, these still represent a limited number, and more studies are necessary to draw stronger conclusions and actionable information.