The Mediterranean-type diet: is there a need for further modification?

Article Abstract:

The link between blood levels of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been well documented. Previous studies have shown that high blood levels of LDL and total cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of developing CHD, and that diets and medications that lower cholesterol levels reduce the incidence of CHD. Diets that are high in total fat content (more than 40 percent of calories as fat) and in saturated fats (SFAs) have been linked to high blood levels of LDL cholesterol. Therefore, to reduce the risk of CHD it is recommended that total fat intake be reduced and that more polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) be consumed. The incidence of CHD in Mediterranean countries is lower than would be expected based on the dietary habit of consuming more than 40 percent of the daily energy as fat. However, more than 20 percent of the total fat is monounsaturated fat (MUFA), from olive oil. To determine the effects of different types of fat on blood cholesterol levels, four different diets containing different combinations of SFAs, MUFAs and PUFAs were consumed, for six weeks each, by 11 nuns living in the Mediterranean region of Spain. Diet 1 was high in PUFAs and low in MUFAs with a low ratio of PUFAs to SFAs (P:S ratio). Diet 2 was high in PUFAs and MUFAs, low in SFAs, and had a high P:S ratio. Diet 3 was low in PUFAs, high in MUFAs, and had a low P:S ratio. Diet 4 was low in PUFAs and MUFAs, high in SFAs, and had a low P:S ratio. The greatest reductions in total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (23 percent and 30 percent, respectively) were observed following diet 2. Both diets 1 and 3 reduced total cholesterol (by 12 and 13 percent, respectively) and reduced LDL cholesterol (by 24 and 19 percent, respectively). Diet 4 resulted in an 11 percent increase in LDL cholesterol. None of these diets altered blood levels of high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. It is concluded that MUFAs and PUFAs are equally effective in reducing LDL cholesterol, and that the only modification that should be considered to the typical Mediterranean diet (which is high in MUFAs) should be to reduce total dietary fat by reducing SFAs. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Risk factors, Coronary heart disease, Spain, Diet, Low density lipoproteins, Cookery, Mediterranean, Mediterranean cooking

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Effects of diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins-the Jerusalem Nutrition Study: high MUFAs vs high PUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) (polyunsaturated fatty acids)

Article Abstract:

Previous studies have established links among dietary saturated fats, high blood levels of cholesterol, and an increased risk of heart disease. By reducing the blood levels of cholesterol, the risk for developing heart disease can be reduced. Studies that have examined the effect of unsaturated fats on blood cholesterol have found that oleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil) can reduce blood levels of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol without changing the levels of high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol; high levels of HDL cholesterol appear to reduce the risk of heart disease. These findings have generated interest in the effects of altering dietary levels of fat on blood levels of cholesterol. The Jerusalem Nutrition Study was designed to evaluate the effects of different dietary fats on blood cholesterol. The study included 26 male students attending Talmudic College outside of Jerusalem who followed a diet high in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) for the first 12 weeks of the study, followed by a diet high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) for the second 12 weeks. The diets consisted of 50 percent carbohydrate, 32 percent fat and 18 percent protein. The MUFA and PUFA diets resulted in reductions of total blood cholesterol by 10 and 16 percent, respectively, and both diets decreased the levels of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The levels of high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were not changed by either diet. It is concluded that MUFAs and PUFAs reduce blood levels of cholesterol. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Monounsaturated fatty acids, Unsaturated fatty acids

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Digestibility of cocoa butter and corn oil in human subjects: a preliminary study

Article Abstract:

Many research studies have shown that diets high in saturated fats tend to raise blood cholesterol; elevated cholesterol in turn increases the risk of coronary artery disease. But not all saturated fats have the same effect on blood cholesterol. Cocoa butter is a fat that is largely made up of saturated fatty acids (the structural components of fats), yet it appears to have a neutral effect on total blood cholesterol in humans. More surprising is that in rats, cocoa butter had less effect on circulating cholesterol than corn oil, which is highly unsaturated. These results could be due to lower digestibility of cocoa butter compared with corn oil; if less is digested, any adverse effects could be blunted. To evaluate the digestibility (absorption) of these two fats, six healthy young men consumed diets where virtually all the fat was from cocoa butter for three days, and from corn oil for another three days; stool samples were collected and analyzed to assess the amount of fat excreted. Digestibility was lower for cocoa butter than for corn oil, and this may explain, at least in part, why cocoa butter does not appear to raise blood cholesterol.

Research, Prevention, Cocoa butter, Hypercholesterolemia, Stearic acid, Corn oil

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