Increase in Fat Intake either with Rapeseed Oil or with Sunflower Oil Improves Fatty Acid Status and Metabolic Disorders of Hospitalized Elderly Patients: The Alpha-linolenage Study. 
Nicole Combe1, Olivier Henry2, Carlos Lopez3, Carole Vaysse1, Fathi Driss4, I. Fonseca2, N. Simon5, C. Le Guillou5, D. Ribaud3, S. Masselin-Silvin3, J-P.David2,
F. Mendy6. 
1. ITERG, Unité de Nutrition, Métabolisme & Santé 33076 Bordeaux ; 
2. Groupe Hospitalier Henri Mondor, 94450 Limeil-Brevannes; 
3. Institut de l'élevage, 75595 Paris; 4. Hôpital Bichat, Paris; 5. Terres Univia and 
6. Terres Inovia, 75378 Paris.

Fatty acids in the de novo lipogenesis (DNL) were positively associated with metabolic disorders in our previous study performed on hospitalized elderly patients who had a low fat intake (27.7% of total energy). High negative correlations were found between the fatty acids derived from DNL and the two essential fatty acids (linoleic acid, LA and alpha-linolenic acid, ALA) in plasma cholesteryl esters of patients. In this present study, we aimed to decrease levels of endogenous fatty acids circulating, and to assess impact on metabolic disorders, by increasing daily dietary fat level. Hundred and eleven patients (30 men and 81 women, 84±7 years) participated in a 6-week intervention, were randomized in two arms, and were provided baseline diet (J0) enriched with 17.5 g oil, either rapeseed oil (RO) or sunflower oil (SO). Thus, energy from fat was increased from 27.7% to 34.1%. Plasma and erythrocyte fatty acids, as well as markers of metabolic disorders were assessed at baseline (J0) and after the intervention (J42). Compliance was verified by expected increases in ALA (RO group) and in LA (SO group), at J42. Palmitoleic acid [16:1 (n-7)], which is synthesized by DNL, has been positively associated with dysglycemia at J0. After fat supplementation, we found: i) a decrease in 16:1 (n-7) in both groups, by 11-20% in the RO group and by 14% in the SO group, and ii) a decrease in the dysglycemia prevalence in both groups; SO was more effective than RO. This positive impact was higher on men (↓18-24%) than on women (↓3-8%). Fat supplementation had also a positive effect on: i) inflammatory syndrome in men of both groups (prevalence ↓14%), and ii) metabolic syndrome (prevalence ↓12-27%), except in women of the RO group. In conclusion, the enrichment of the diet either with RO or with SO has shown positive effects on blood fatty acids and has improved markers of metabolic disorders in the elderly, after a 6-week intervention. 
*funding by Terres Univia and FranceAgriMer.