The effect on the blood lipid profile of soy foods combined with a prebiotic: a randomized controlled trial.

The value of soy protein as part of the cholesterol-lowering diet has been questioned by recent studies. The apparent lack of effect may relate to the absence of dietary factors that increase colonic fermentation and potentiate the cholesterol-lowering effect of soy. Therefore, unabsorbable carbohydrates (prebiotics) were added to the diet with the aim of increasing colonic fermentation and so potentially increasing the hypocholesterolemic effect of soy.

Effect of a low-glycemic index or a high-cereal fiber diet on type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial.

Context: Clinical trials using antihyperglycemic medications to improve glycemic control have not demonstrated the anticipated cardiovascular benefits. Low-glycemic index diets may improve both glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors for patients with type 2 diabetes but debate over their effectiveness continues due to trial limitations.

Objective: To test the effects of low-glycemic index diets on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Comparison of a dietary portfolio diet of cholesterol-lowering foods and a statin on LDL particle size phenotype in hypercholesterolaemic participants.

The effect of diet v. statins on LDL particle size as a risk factor for CVD has not been examined. We compared, in the same subjects, the impact of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods and a statin on LDL size electrophoretic characteristics.

The glycemic index: methodology and use.

The glycemic index concept owes much to the dietary fiber hypothesis that fiber would reduce the rate of nutrient absorption and increase the value of carbohydrate foods in the maintenance of health and treatment of disease. However, properties and components of food other than its fiber content contribute to the glycemic and endocrine responses postprandially. The aim of the glycemic index classification of foods was therefore to assist in the physiological classification of carbohydrate foods which, it was hoped, would be of relevance in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Colonic health: fermentation and short chain fatty acids.

Interest has been recently rekindled in short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) with the emergence of prebiotics and probiotics aimed at improving colonic and systemic health. Dietary carbohydrates, specifically resistant starches and dietary fiber, are substrates for fermentation that produce SCFAs, primarily acetate, propionate, and butyrate, as end products. The rate and amount of SCFA production depends on the species and amounts of microflora present in the colon, the substrate source and gut transit time.

Assessment of the longer-term effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods in hypercholesterolemia.

Background: Cholesterol-lowering foods may be more effective when consumed as combinations rather than as single foods.

Objectives: Our aims were to determine the effectiveness of consuming a combination of cholesterol-lowering foods (dietary portfolio) under real-world conditions and to compare these results with published data from the same participants who had undergone 4-wk metabolic studies to compare the same dietary portfolio with the effects of a statin.

Design: For 12 mo, 66 hyperlipidemic participants were prescribed diets high in plant sterols (1.

Direct comparison of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods with a statin in hypercholesterolemic participants.

Background: 3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors reduce serum cholesterol and are increasingly advocated in primary prevention to achieve reductions in LDL cholesterol. Newer dietary approaches combining cholesterol-lowering foods may offer another option, but these approaches have not been compared directly with statins in the same persons.

Objective: The objective was to compare, in the same subjects, the cholesterol-lowering potential of a dietary portfolio with that of a statin.

Resistant starches and health.

It was initially hypothesized that resistant starches, i.e., starch that enters the colon, would have protective effects on chronic colonic diseases, including reduction of colon cancer risk and in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods vs lovastatin on serum lipids and C-reactive protein.

Context: To enhance the effectiveness of diet in lowering cholesterol, recommendations of the Adult Treatment Panel III of the National Cholesterol Education Program emphasize diets low in saturated fat together with plant sterols and viscous fibers, and the American Heart Association supports the use of soy protein and nuts.

Objective: To determine whether a diet containing all of these recommended food components leads to cholesterol reduction comparable with that of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins).

Design: Randomized controlled trial conducted between October and December 2002.