Dietary Effects on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: Beyond Saturated Fatty Acids and Cholesterol
Robert J. Nicolosi, PhD, FACN,
Thomas A. Wilson, PhD, MPH,
Carl Lawton, PhD and
Garry J. Handelman, PhD
Departments of Health and Clinical Science and Chemical Engineering, Center For Chronic Disease Control and Prevention, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
Fig. 2. Effect of FibercelTM on lipoprotein cholesterol levels in humans. A dose of 15 g/day of this high ß-glucan fiber was associated with 7% to 9% reductions in total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) without significantly affecting HDL-C [19].
Fig. 3. Stanol ester effects on LDL-C. Stanol esters produced from either a wood-based or a vegetable oil source give comparable low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering in humans [39].
Fig. 4. Comparative effects of olive oil (OL) and rice bran oil (RBO) substitution on lipoprotein cholesterol levels in humans consuming an average American diet (AAD). RBO feeding significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) relative to OL feeding [50].
Fig. 5. Comparative effects of corn oil (CO) and corn fiber oil (CFO) on non-HDL-C in hamsters. CFO feeding was twofold greater in reducing non-HDL-C compared to corn oil [51].
Fig. 6. Fecal cholesterol excretion in hamsters fed corn oil or corn fiber oil. Note the striking increase (+187%) in fecal cholesterol excretion in the hamsters fed corn fiber oil relative to the control or corn oil diet [51].
Fig. 7. Effect of flavonoids and tea intake on relative risk (RR) of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Zutphen Study. Note the 60% decrease in RR in subjects consuming flavonoids and tea [52].
Fig. 8. Effects of vitamin E on relative risk (RR) of myocardial infarcts (MI), stroke or death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). ATBC = Alpha Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group; GISSI = Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nellinfarto miocardico. Hope = Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation. CHAOS = Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study. Note that only the CHAOS study showed an association between vitamin E intake and reduced RR.
Fig. 9. Relative Risk (RR) for mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to tertiles of homocysteinemia. Note the increase in RR at increasing homocysteine levels [65].
Fig. 10. Effect of folic acid (1 mg/d), vitamin B6 (10 mg/d) and vitamin B12 (0.4 mg/d) on homocysteine levels. The treated group had a 51% reduction in homocysteine levels [69].