Cholesterol-lowering effect of beta-glucan from oat bran in mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects may decrease when beta-glucan is incorporated into bread and cookies.

Background: Findings about the effects of beta-glucan on serum lipoproteins are conflicting.

Objective: The study investigated the effects of beta-glucan from oat bran in bread and cookies (study 1) and in orange juice (study 2) on serum lipoproteins in mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects.

Design: In study 1, 48 subjects (21 men, 27 women) received for 3 wk control bread and cookies rich in wheat fiber.

Effects on the human serum lipoprotein profile of beta-glucan, soy protein and isoflavones, plant sterols and stanols, garlic and tocotrienols.

The effects of beta-glucan, soy protein, isoflavones, plant sterols and stanols, garlic and tocotrienols on serum lipoproteins have been of great interest the last decade. From a critical review of the literature, it appeared that recent studies found positive as well as no effects of beta-glucan from oats on serum LDL cholesterol concentrations. These conflicting results may suggest that the cholesterol-lowering activity of products rich in oat beta-glucan depends on factors, such as its viscosity in the gastrointestinal tract, the food matrix and/or food processing.

Therapeutic potential of plant sterols and stanols.

Products enriched with plant sterol and stanol esters selectively lower LDL cholesterol. Consumption appears to be safe, and these functional foods thus have great potential for cardiovascular risk management. Although values remain within the normal range, one possible concern is that they lower lipid-standardized concentrations of the plasma carotenoids.

Rates of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue glycerol release in nonobese and obese subjects.

Skeletal muscle and adipose tissue lipolysis rates were quantitatively compared in 12 healthy nonobese and 14 insulin-resistant obese subjects for 3.5 h after an oral glucose load using microdialysis measurements of interstitial glycerol concentrations and determinations of local blood flow with 133Xe clearance in the gastrocnemius muscle and in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. Together with measurements of arterialized venous plasma glycerol, the absolute rates of glycerol mobilization were estimated.

Effect of aging on beta-adrenergically mediated thermogenesis in men.

The age-dependent alterations in beta-adrenergically mediated thermogenesis were investigated in 11 young (mean +/- SE age: 21.9 +/- 0.5 yr) and 9 older (52.