Polyphenol-rich phloem enhances the resistance of total serum lipids to oxidation in men.

In humans, polyphenol supplementation studies have resulted in inconsistent findings in lipid peroxidation. Our aim was to investigate the effects of a 4-week consumption of polyphenol-rich phloem on serum lipids and lipid peroxidation in the hydrophilic fraction of serum and on isolated lipoproteins. We conducted a randomized double-blind supplementation study consisting of 75 nonsmoking hypercholesterolemic men. Participants consumed 70 g daily of either rye bread (placebo) or phloem-fortified rye bread containing 31 mg (low polyphenol, LP) or 62 mg (high polyphenol, HP) of catechins. The ex vivo susceptibility of total serum lipids and VLDL and LDL to oxidation after copper induction was measured as a lag time to the maximal oxidation rate at the baseline and after the supplementation. In the HP group, an increase in the oxidation resistance of total serum lipids was observed (11.4%), while no effect was seen in the LP group (-0.8%) or in the placebo group (-1.0%) (p = 0.007). No differences were observed in the oxidation resistance of VLDL and LDL between the study groups. The phloem also increased in vitro oxidation resistance of serum lipids and radical scavenging activity (DPPH.) in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggest that polyphenols may inhibit lipid peroxidation in the hydrophilic fraction of serum.

Six-year effect of combined vitamin C and E supplementation on atherosclerotic progression: the Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) Study.

BACKGROUND: Self-selected supplementation of vitamin E has been associated with reduced coronary events and atherosclerotic progression, but the evidence from clinical trials is controversial. In the first 3 years of the ASAP trial, the supplementation with 136 IU of vitamin E plus 250 mg of slow-release vitamin C twice daily slowed down the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in men but not women. This article examines the 6-year effect of supplementation on common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT). METHODS AND RESULTS: The subjects were 520 smoking and nonsmoking men and postmenopausal women aged 45 to 69 years with serum cholesterol > or =5.0 mmol/L (193 mg/dL), 440 (84.6%) of whom completed the study. Atherosclerotic progression was assessed ultrasonographically. In covariance analysis in both sexes, supplementation reduced the main study outcome, the slope of mean CCA-IMT, by 26% (95% CI, 5 to 46, P=0.014), in men by 33% (95% CI, 4 to 62, P=0.024) and in women by 14% (not significant). In both sexes combined, the average annual increase of the mean CCA-IMT was 0.014 mm in the unsupplemented and 0.010 mm in the supplemented group (25% treatment effect, 95% CI, 2 to 49, P=0.034). In men, this treatment effect was 37% (95 CI, 4 to 69, P=0.028). The effect was larger in subjects with either low baseline plasma vitamin C levels or CCA plaques. Vitamin E had no effect on HDL cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: These data replicate our 3-year findings confirming that the supplementation with combination of vitamin E and slow-release vitamin C slows down atherosclerotic progression in hypercholesterolemic persons.