Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), alone or in combination with vitamin E, improve the clinical manifestations of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), study findings indicate.
“Despite beneficial effects of CLAs in animal studies, there is little information on their effects on human inflammatory and autoimmune diseases,” note Farhad Shahram (Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran) and colleagues.
To investigate, Shahram and team carried out a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial in which 87 patients with RA received either CLA (group C), vitamin E (group E), both CLA and vitamin E (group CE), or placebo (group P) for 12 weeks.
The researchers measured serum vitamin E (α-tocopherol) levels, complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive protein (CRP) rheumatoid factor (RF) and the disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28), in each of the patients. They also conducted an interview and clinician examination to determine clinical and lifestyle data.
As reported in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, DAS28 pain and morning stiffness were significantly lower in groups C and CE compared with group P after 12 weeks of supplementation.
Compared with baseline, ESR levels decreased significantly in groups C, E, and CE and group CE had significantly lower ESR levels than group P. The level of CRP dropped non-significantly in all four groups and white blood cell count was significantly lower in group CE compared with other the groups.
Levels of α-tocopherol increased significantly in groups E and CE compared with group P but platelet count, RF, body mass index, red blood cell count, and hemoglobin did not change in any group during the treatment period.
Shahram et al conclude: “It seems that CLAs decrease inflammation and improve clinical outcomes in patients with RA.”
They add that in combination with vitamin E, CLAs could be helpful in reducing the inflammatory effects of active RA.