Abstract The present study instigates the notion that non-fat
milk has a beneficial effect on hypercholesterolemia caused by
dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Two groups of mice
(6 per group) were fed synthetic CLA (predominantly a mixture
of t10, c12 and c9, t11 isomers) at 1 % level in the diet with or
without skim milk powder (SMP). Another group (control) was
fed a similar diet without CLA and SMP. The study was
conducted for 60 days (d). Daily feed intake and weekly body
weight were recorded. Plasma lipid profile was determined
monthly. At the conclusion of experiment, animals were
sacrificed and liver tissue was removed to assay cholesterol
and triacylglycerols (TAG). Following 60 day feeding, the
plasma total cholesterol content increased significantly in CLA
group (218 mg/dl) than in control group (167 mg/dl), while in
CLA + SMP group (fed non-fat milk solids along with CLA), it
was similar to that in control group. The fractions of high
density lipoproteins (HDL) and low density lipoprotein + very
low density lipoprotein (LDL + VLDL) cholesterol as well as
triacylglycerols (TAG) in plasma increased in CLA group, but
in CLA + SMP group it remained similar to the control levels.
Thus, it is concluded that dietary CLA increases plasma cholesterol
and TAG contents in mice on normocholesterolemic diet
and the inclusion of non-fat milk solids reverses this effect.