Lipid responses in mildly hypertriglyceridemic men and women to consumption of docosahexaenoic acid-enriched eggs.

This randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial assessed lipid responses in mildly hyper-triglyceridemic men and women to consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched eggs or ordinary chicken eggs. The study included 153 subjects aged 21-80 years, with serum triglyceride concentrations between 140 and 450 mg/dL, inclusive, and serum total cholesterol concentrations < 300 mg/dL. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either DHA-enriched (147 mg DHA/egg) or ordinary eggs (20 mg DHA/egg), added to their usual diets for six weeks (10 eggs/week). Both treatments significantly lowered triglycerides and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels from baseline; however, these changes were not significantly different between treatments. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations increased significantly in subjects who consumed DHA-enriched eggs (p = 0.047 vs. control). This increase was significantly higher than that observed with ordinary eggs. However, there was no significant increase in cholesterol carried by small, dense LDL particles, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Results of exploratory analyses suggest favorable effects of the DHA-enriched eggs over ordinary eggs on triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels in subjects with body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2; the DHA treatment produced a larger reduction in serum triglyceride concentration vs. ordinary eggs (-12.3 vs. 2.1%; p = 0.027), and there was a greater increase for HDL cholesterol in the DHA-enriched vs. ordinary egg group (5.0 vs. 1.1%; p = 0.040).

Food products containing free tall oil-based phytosterols and oat beta-glucan lower serum total and LDL cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults.

This randomized, double-blind, controlled trial evaluated the influence of low fat, low saturated fat food products that contained free tall oil-based phytosterols (TOP) and oat beta-glucan (from whole oats and bran concentrate) on serum lipid concentrations in adults with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia. After a 5-wk National Cholesterol Education Program Step I diet lead-in period, 112 subjects incorporated one of two treatments into their diets for 6 wk: food products (cereal, snack bar and beverage) that provided 1.8 g TOP and 2.8 g beta-glucan/d and contained < or =3.0 g total fat and < or =1.0 g saturated fat (TOP/beta-glucan treatment) or similar control foods. The serum LDL cholesterol response from baseline to the end of study was significantly larger in the TOP/beta-glucan treated group than in the control group, in which there was no change (-3.7 vs. 0.4%; P = 0.013). Likewise, total cholesterol decreased in the TOP/beta-glucan treatment group and did not change significantly in the controls (-2.3 vs. 0.8%; P = 0.043). Serum HDL cholesterol and triglyceride responses did not differ between the groups. The results of this trial suggest that consumption of a group of low fat, TOP and beta-glucan- containing foods is a useful adjunct in the dietary management of hypercholesterolemia.