Effect of delavirdine on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of highly active antiretroviral therapy among patients receiving delavirdine with or without a protease inhibitor (PI). In patients receiving nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) plus delavirdine, there was a statistically significant increase in cholesterol and HDL levels, whereas those receiving NRTI plus a PI had no significant change in their HDL levels. When delavirdine was combined with a PI, there was a more dramatic increase in both cholesterol and HDL concentrations.

Moderate alcohol consumption lowers risk factors for cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women fed a controlled diet.

BACKGROUND: Moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 drinks/d) may decrease cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal women by improving lipid profiles. OBJECTIVE: We measured the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on lipids and lipoproteins in postmenopausal women. DESIGN: Postmenopausal women (n = 51) consumed 0 (control), 15 (1 drink), and 30 (2 drinks) g alcohol (ethanol)/d for 8 wk each as part of a controlled diet in a randomized crossover design. The control diet provided approximately 15%, 53%, and 32% of energy from protein, carbohydrate, and fat, respectively. The energy provided from alcohol in the 15- and 30-g alcohol diets was replaced with energy from carbohydrate. RESULTS: Compared with concentrations after the control diet, plasma LDL cholesterol decreased from 3.45 to 3.34 mmol/L (P = 0.04) and triacylglycerol from 1.43 to 1.34 mmol/L (P = 0.05) after 15 g alcohol/d. There were no additional significant decreases in either lipid after an increase in alcohol intake from 15 to 30 g/d. Compared with concentrations after the control diet, plasma HDL cholesterol increased nonsignificantly from 1.40 to 1.43 mmol/L after 15 g alcohol/d but increased to 1.48 mmol/L after 30 g alcohol/d (P = 0.02). Apolipoprotein A-I increased significantly and apolipoprotein B decreased significantly after 30 g alcohol/d relative to the concentration after the control diet. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of 15-30 g alcohol/d by postmenopausal women apparently decreases cardiovascular disease risk by improving lipid profiles. Plasma LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations improve after 15 g alcohol/d; plasma HDL cholesterol improves only after 30 g alcohol/d.

Dietary cis and trans monounsaturated and saturated FA and plasma lipids and lipoproteins in men.

Trans monounsaturated fatty acids (TFA) are hypercholesterolemic compared to oleic acid to a degree approaching or equivalent to saturated FA. However, it is unknown to what extent these effects may be due to cholesterol lowering by oleic acid rather than elevation by saturated FA and TFA. In order to better understand the impact of replacing TFA in foods, it is first necessary to know the relative lipid-modifying effects of the major FA that change as TFA are lowered or removed. For 5 wk, 50 normocholesterolemic men were fed controlled diets providing approximately 15% of energy from protein, 39% from fat, and 46% from carbohydrate in a randomized, 6 x 6, crossover design. Eight percent of energy was replaced across diets with the following: carbohydrate (CHO) (1:1 simple to complex); oleic acid (OL); TFA; stearic acid (STE); TFA/STE (4% of energy from each); carbon 12:0-16:0 saturated FA (LMP). LDL cholesterol concentrations (mmol/L) were as follows (different superscripts indicate significance at P < or = 0.01): OL 2.95a; CHO 3.05a,b; STE 3.10b,c; LMP 3.21c,d; TFA + STE 3.32d,e; and TFA 3.36e. HDL cholesterol concentrations (mmol/L) were as allows: STE 1.16a; TFA 1.16a,b; TFA/STE 1.17a,b; CHO 1.19b; OL 1.24c; and LMP 1.30d. Triacylglycerides were highest after STE (1.13) and lowest after OL (0.88) (P < 0.001). Thus, compared to the carbohydrate control diet, TFA raised LDL cholesterol at least equivalent to LMP but had no effect on HDL cholesterol; STE had no effect on LDL cholesterol but lowered HDL cholesterol; LMP raised both LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol; and oleic acid raised HDL cholesterol but had no effect on LDL cholesterol.

Plant sterol esters lower plasma lipids and most carotenoids in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults.

The ability of plant sterol esters (PSE) in salad dressing to modify plasma lipids and carotenoids was determined in 26 men and 27 women fed controlled, weight-maintaining, isocaloric diets. Diets contained typical American foods that provided 32% of energy from fat. Dressings contained 8 g (ranch) or 4 g (Italian) of fat per serving. PSE (3.6 g/d) were provided in two servings/d of one of the dressings. Diets with ranch or Italian dressing without and with PSE were fed for 3 wk/diet and crossed over randomly within dressings. Diets were adjusted to similar fat and fatty acid concentrations. Type of salad dressing did not affect plasma lipids, lipoproteins, carotenoids, or fat-soluble vitamins (P > 0.05). Switching from a self-selected baseline diet to the control diet resulted in reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 7.9%, a decrease in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol of 3.1%, and a decrease in triglycerides (TG) of 9.3%. Consumption of 3.6 g of PSE resulted in further decreases in LDL cholesterol (9.7%) and TG (7.3%) but no additional change in HDL cholesterol. Total plasma carotenoids decreased 9.6% with PSE. An automated stepwise procedure was developed to produce candidate mixed models relating plasma carotenoid response to PSE. These models adjusted for preintervention plasma carotenoid levels and effects of diets on blood lipids. There were significant decreases in beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin (females only) not associated with changes in plasma lipids. Plasma carotenoids on all diets remained within normal ranges. We conclude that low-fat foods, such as salad dressings, are effective carriers for PSE.

Black tea consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults.

Despite epidemiological evidence that tea consumption is associated with the reduced risk of coronary heart disease, experimental studies designed to show that tea affects oxidative stress or blood cholesterol concentration have been unsuccessful. We assessed the effects of black tea consumption on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. Tea and other beverages were included in a carefully controlled weight-maintaining diet. Five servings/d of tea were compared with a placebo beverage in a blinded randomized crossover study (7 men and 8 women, consuming a controlled diet for 3 wk/treatment). The caffeine-free placebo was prepared to match the tea in color and taste. In a third period, caffeine was added to the placebo in an amount equal to that in the tea. Five servings/d of tea reduced total cholesterol 6.5%, LDL cholesterol 11.1%, apolipoprotein B 5% and lipoprotein(a) 16.4% compared with the placebo with added caffeine. Compared with the placebo without added caffeine, total cholesterol was reduced 3.8% and LDL cholesterol was reduced 7.5% whereas apolipoprotein B, Lp(a), HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I and triglycerides were unchanged. Plasma oxidized LDL, F2-isoprostanes, urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, ex vivo ferric ion reducing capacity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in LDL were not affected by tea consumption compared with either placebo. Thus, inclusion of tea in a diet moderately low in fat reduces total and LDL cholesterol by significant amounts and may, therefore, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Tea consumption did not affect antioxidant status in this study.