Effects of Free Linoleic Acid and Oleic Acid in Sesame Meal Extract as Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitors on Postprandial Triglyceridemia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

A great number of chemically diverse pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitors have been identified to tackle obesity; however, very few of them have entered clinical studies. The ethanolic extract of sesame meal is a potent PL inhibitor, and its activity hinges exclusively on two free fatty acids: linoleic acid and oleic acid, which were proven to reduce postprandial triglyceride excursion in rats. Herein, to investigate the clinical efficacy of the sesame meal extract, in a crossover trial, 30 healthy volunteers were randomized to receive the sesame meal extract containing experimental food or placebo along with a high-fat meal. Treatment with the sesame meal extract significantly lowered the incremental postprandial serum triglyceride concentration and reduced the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) by 16.8% (p-value = 0.03) compared to placebo. Significant decreases in postprandial remnant-like lipoprotein particle cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein particles were also observed, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was increased. These results suggest that treatment with the sesame meal extract significantly reduced the postprandial excursion of triglycerides and improved the lipidemic profile after high dietary fat intake in healthy individuals, indicating the substantial potential of free linoleic acid and oleic acid and natural products rich in these compounds for the management of obesity and related conditions.