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Milk fat globule membrane modulates inflammatory pathways in human monocytes: A crossover human intervention study
Lei Deng1, Charlotte C J R Michielsen1, Frank Vrieling1
1Nutrition, Metabolism and Genomics Group, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|December 15, 2023
Summary
Milk fat globule membrane in cream may reduce inflammation. Cream consumption, unlike vegetable fat or milk fat alone, downregulated inflammatory gene expression in monocytes, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- High-fat diets can increase postprandial inflammation, influenced by fat type.
- The role of milk fat and its globule membrane in postprandial inflammation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of milk fat with and without the milk fat globule membrane, compared to a vegetable fat blend, on postprandial inflammation.
- Focus on changes in blood monocyte gene expression.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial involving 37 healthy volunteers.
- Participants consumed meal shakes with vegetable fat blend (VEGE), anhydrous milk fat (AMF), or cream (CREAM).
- Monocyte gene expression was analyzed via RNA sequencing 6 hours postprandially.
Main Results:
- All fat types altered monocyte populations, with no significant differences between them.
- Cream (AMF with milk fat globule membrane) showed distinct gene expression patterns compared to AMF and VEGE.
- Vegetable fat increased inflammatory gene expression, while cream suppressed inflammatory and energy metabolism pathways.
Conclusions:
- Cream, containing milk fat globule membrane, downregulated inflammatory pathways in monocytes.
- This suggests a potential inflammation-inhibitory effect of the milk fat globule membrane.
