American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 34, 1758-1763, Copyright © 1981 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

The effects of low cholesterol, high polyunsaturated fat, and low fat diets on plasma lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol levels in normal and hypercholesterolemic subjects

EJ Schaefer, RI Levy, ND Ernst, FD Van Sant and HB Brewer Jr

The effects of various cholesterol-lowering diets on plasma lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol levels were assessed in normal and hypercholesterolemic subjects. The base-line diet was an ad libitum hospital diet of normal composition. Diet A was a 20% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 40% fat, polyunsaturated:saturated fat ratio 0.1 to 0.3, 250 to 300 mg cholesterol diet, diet B was identical to diet A except that the polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio was 1.8 to 2.2, and diet C was a 20% protein, 80% carbohydrate, very low fat (5 to 10 g), polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio 0.1 to 0.3, 150 to 200 mg cholesterol diet. Diet A (low cholesterol) caused mean reductions in plasma, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol of 5.9, 5.6, and 6.3%, respectively, in 11 normal subjects. Diet B (low cholesterol, high polyunsaturated fat) caused significant decreases in plasma cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol of 17.0, 16.2, and 17.4%, respectively, in 12 normal subjects; and reductions of 11.0, 10.8, and 17.1%, respectively, in 19 hypercholesterolemic subjects. Diet C (low cholesterol, very low fat) produced significant mean decreases in plasma, LDL, and HDL cholesterol of 26.7, 29.9, and 27.9%, respectively, in 11 normal subjects, and in nine hypercholesterolemic patients of 22.6, 27.2, and 28.6%, respectively. The reductions in plasma cholesterol caused by these diets were therefore due to decreases in both LDL and HDL cholesterol with no significant changes in the LDL cholesterol:HDL cholesterol ratio.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. T Williams, P. J Blanche, R. Rawlings, and R. M Krauss Concordant lipoprotein and weight responses to dietary fat change in identical twins with divergent exercise levels 1 Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2005; 82(1): 181 - 187. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Newby, D. Muller, and K. L Tucker Associations of empirically derived eating patterns with plasma lipid biomarkers: a comparison of factor and cluster analysis methods Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, September 1, 2004; 80(3): 759 - 767. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Henkin and I. Shai Dietary Treatment of Hypercholestrolemia: Can We Predict Long-Term Success? J. Am. Coll. Nutr., December 1, 2003; 22(6): 555 - 561. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Muller, A. S. Lindman, A. L. Brantsaeter, and J. I. Pedersen The Serum LDL/HDL Cholesterol Ratio Is Influenced More Favorably by Exchanging Saturated with Unsaturated Fat Than by Reducing Saturated Fat in the Diet of Women J. Nutr., January 1, 2003; 133(1): 78 - 83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. B. Feldman The Scientific Evidence for a Beneficial Health Relationship Between Walnuts and Coronary Heart Disease J. Nutr., May 1, 2002; 132(5): 1062S - 1101. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. J Schaefer Lipoproteins, nutrition, and heart disease Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, February 1, 2002; 75(2): 191 - 212. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. A. Jenkins, C. W. C. Kendall, V. Vuksan, E. Vidgen, E. Wong, L. S. A. Augustin, and V. Fulgoni III Effect of Cocoa Bran on Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation and Fecal Bulking Arch Intern Med, August 14, 2000; 160(15): 2374 - 2379. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Eritsland Safety considerations of polyunsaturated fatty acids Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2000; 71(1): 197S - 201S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Berglund, E. H Oliver, N. Fontanez, S. Holleran, K. Matthews, P. S Roheim, H. N Ginsberg, R. Ramakrishnan, and M. Lefevre HDL-subpopulation patterns in response to reductions in dietary total and saturated fat intakes in healthy subjects Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 1999; 70(6): 992 - 1000. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Jenkins, C. W. Kendall, E. Vidgen, S. Agarwal, A V. Rao, R. S Rosenberg, E. P Diamandis, R. Novokmet, C. C Mehling, T. Perera, et al. Health aspects of partially defatted flaxseed, including effects on serum lipids, oxidative measures, and ex vivo androgen and progestin activity: a controlled crossover trial Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, March 1, 1999; 69(3): 395 - 402. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. H. Lichtenstein and L. Van Horn Very Low Fat Diets Circulation, September 1, 1998; 98(9): 935 - 939. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. E. Walden, B. M. Retzlaff, B. L. Buck, B. S. McCann, and R. H. Knopp Lipoprotein Lipid Response to the National Cholesterol Education Program Step II Diet by Hypercholesterolemic and Combined Hyperlipidemic Women and Men Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., February 1, 1997; 17(2): 375 - 382. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				D. M. Dreon, H. A. Fernstrom, B. Miller, and R. M. Krauss Apolipoprotein E Isoform Phenotype and LDL Subclass Response to a Reduced-Fat Diet Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., January 1, 1995; 15(1): 105 - 111. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				K. B. Hrovat, K. Z. Harris, A. D. Leach, B. S. Russell, B. V. Harris, and D. L. Sprecher The New Food Label, Type of Fat, and Consumer Choice: A Pilot Study Arch Fam Med, August 1, 1994; 3(8): 690 - 695. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. Jenkins, T. Wolever, A. V. Rao, R. A. Hegele, S. J. Mitchell, T. Ransom, D. L. Boctor, P. J. Spadafora, A. L. Jenkins, C. Mehling, et al. Effect on Blood Lipids of Very High Intakes of Fiber in Diets Low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol N. Engl. J. Med., July 1, 1993; 329(1): 21 - 26. [Abstract] [Full Text]