LDL and apoB
A high trans fatty acid diet raises serum CETP activity compared with linoleic or stearic acid diets (Atherosclerosis 1995)
Original title: Dietary trans fatty acids increase serum cholesterylester transfer protein activity in man
Since dietary trans fatty acids are known to simultaneously raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol, this study tested whether CETP activity mediates that effect. Fifty-five volunteers completed a 9-week controlled feeding study with three diets differing in fatty acid profile, and serum CETP activity was measured after each. Mean CETP activity was 114% of reference serum after the high trans fatty acid diet, compared with 96% after the linoleic acid diet and 97% after the stearic acid diet (P < 0.02). The authors conclude that increased CETP activity may contribute to the rise in LDL cholesterol and fall in HDL cholesterol observed with high trans fatty acid diets.
Original abstract
The average diet may provide some 8-10 g/day of unsaturated fatty acids with a trans double bond. Previous studies showed that dietary trans fatty acids may simultaneously raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and reduce high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Human plasma contains a protein (CETP) which transfers cholesterylesters from HDL to lipoproteins of lower density. We hypothesized that CETP could play a role in the effect of trans fatty acids on lipoproteins and measured the activity levels of CETP in serum samples from a 9-week study in which 55 volunteers were fed three controlled diets with different fatty acid profiles. Mean activity was 114 (% of reference serum) after consumption of a high trans fatty acid diet, as opposed to 96 after linoleic acid and 97 after stearic acid (P < 0.02). We conclude that the increased activity of CETP may contribute to the rise in LDL cholesterol and the fall in HDL cholesterol seen on diets with high contents of trans fatty acids.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.