Effect of short-term low- and high-fat diets on low-density lipoprotein particle size in normolipidemic subjects.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to raise plasma cholesterol levels, an effect associated with the formation of large low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. However, the impact of dietary intervention on time-course changes in LDL particle size has not been investigated. To test whether a short-term dietary intervention affects LDL particle size, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, crossover study using an intensive dietary modification in 12 nonobese healthy men with normal plasma lipid profile.

Effect of the Mediterranean diet with and without weight loss on surrogate markers of cholesterol homeostasis in men with the metabolic syndrome.

The mechanisms implicated in the LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering effects of the Mediterranean-type diet (MedDiet) are unknown. The present study assessed the impact of the MedDiet consumed under controlled feeding conditions, with and without weight loss, on surrogate markers of cholesterol absorption, synthesis and clearance using plasma phytosterols, lathosterol and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-9 (PCSK9) concentrations, respectively, in men with the metabolic syndrome. The subjects' diet (n 19, 24-62 years) was first standardised to a baseline North American control diet (5 weeks) followed by a MedDiet (5 weeks), both under weight-maintaining isoenergetic feeding conditions.

Hypertriglyceridemic waist: a simple clinical phenotype associated with coronary artery disease in women.

The aim of the present study was to compare the ability of the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype and the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) clinical criteria to predict coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in a sample of women. We studied 254 women among whom the presence/absence of CAD was assessed by angiography. The hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype was defined as having both a high waist circumference (≥85 cm) and increased fasting triglyceride levels (≥1.

Dairy product intake and its association with body weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors in a population in dietary transition.

Objective: Higher dairy product intake has shown beneficial effects on body weight, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Caucasian populations. This study evaluated dairy product intake and its association with body weight and CVD risk profile among a population undergoing a dietary transition in Canada, the Nunavik Inuit.

Methods: Data were collected from August 27 to October 1, 2004, in the 14 villages of Nunavik on a Canadian research icebreaker (Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen).

Associations between dietary patterns and LDL peak particle diameter: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Dietary patterns are used to evaluate the effects of overall nutritional habits on health status, and low-density lipoprotein-peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) has been recognized as an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study is to verify whether an association exists between dietary patterns and LDL-PPD.

Methods: A total of 635 participants aged between 18 and 55 years were included in this cross-sectional study.

Comparison of the impact of trans fatty acids from ruminant and industrial sources on surrogate markers of cholesterol homeostasis in healthy men.

Scope: Mechanisms by which trans fatty acids (TFA) from industrial (iTFA) and ruminant (rTFA) sources alter cholesterol homeostasis are virtually unknown. We compared the impact of dietary iTFA and rTFA on surrogate markers of cholesterol absorption (β-sitosterol and campesterol) and synthesis (lathosterol) in healthy men.

Methods And Results: In a randomized, controlled double-blind crossover study, 38 healthy men consumed three experimental isoenergetic diets for 4 wk each.

Interactions between dietary fat intake and FASN genetic variation influence LDL peak particle diameter.

Background: The small, dense LDL phenotype is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. A genome-wide scan performed on the Quebec Family Study (QFS) revealed a quantitative trait locus for LDL peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) on the 17q21 region. A positional candidate gene - the fatty acid synthase gene (FASN) - encodes a key enzyme in the biogenesis of membrane lipids.

Effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, dietary fat intakes and gene-diet interactions on peak particle diameters of low-density lipoproteins.

Unlabelled: The risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is modulated by gene-diet interactions. The objective of this study was to examine whether gene-diet interactions affect peak particle diameters (PPD) of low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Methods: The study included 674 participants.

Investigation of LRP8 gene in 1p31 QTL linked to LDL peak particle diameter in the Quebec family study.

The small, dense LDL phenotype is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. A genome-wide scan performed on 236 nuclear families of the Quebec Family Study (QFS) revealed a quantitative trait locus affecting LDL peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) and density on the 1p31 region. This region contains the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8) gene.

Impact of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5-containing yoghurt, on fecal bacterial counts of healthy adults.

This randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, parallel dose-response study investigated the impact of 4-week commercial yoghurt consumption supplemented with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BB-12) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5) on fecal bacterial counts of healthy adults. Fifty-eight volunteers were randomly assigned to three different groups: 1.

Effect of sitagliptin therapy on postprandial lipoprotein levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aim: Recent studies indicate that type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased secretion of both hepatic and intestinal lipoproteins, leading to the accumulation of atherogenic triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins. Sitagliptin is a selective inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 that has been shown to reduce fasting and postprandial glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes presumably through incretin hormone-mediated improvements in islet function. The objective of the present study is to examine the effects of treatment with sitagliptin on postprandial lipid and incretin hormone levels as well as glucose homeostasis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Atorvastatin increases intestinal expression of NPC1L1 in hyperlipidemic men.

Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis by 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoAR) inhibitors has been associated with an increase in intestinal cholesterol absorption. This study examined how HMG-CoAR inhibition by atorvastatin modulates expression of key genes involved in intestinal cholesterol metabolism. A crossover study was conducted in which 22 hyperlipidemic men received atorvastatin, 40 mg/day, or placebo, each for 12 weeks.

Adding monounsaturated fatty acids to a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods in hypercholesterolemia.

Background: Higher intake of monounsaturated fat may raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol without raising low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. We tested whether increasing the monounsaturated fat content of a diet proven effective for lowering LDL cholesterol (dietary portfolio) also modified other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, specifically by increasing HDL cholesterol, lowering serum triglyceride and further reducing the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with hyperlipidemia consumed a therapeutic diet very low in saturated fat for one month and were then randomly assigned to a dietary portfolio low or high in monounsaturated fatty acid for another month.

Improvements in LDL particle size and distribution by short-term alternate day modified fasting in obese adults.

Alternate day modified fasting (ADMF) beneficially modulates several indicators of CHD risk, but its effects on LDL particle size have never been tested. Accordingly, we examined the effects of ADMF on LDL particle size and distribution in obese adults. Sixteen obese subjects participated in a 10-week trial with three consecutive phases: (1) 2-week control phase; (2) 4-week ADMF controlled feeding phase; (3) 4-week ADMF self-selected feeding phase.

Effects of a dietary intervention promoting the adoption of a Mediterranean food pattern on fast-food consumption among healthy French-Canadian women.

It is expected that a dietary intervention based on the traditional Mediterranean food pattern should be associated with a reduction in fast-food consumption but this has never been tested before. We assessed the impact of a 12-week dietary intervention, promoting the adoption of a Mediterranean food pattern, on fast-food consumption among seventy-one healthy women aged between 30 and 65 years. The dietary intervention consisted of two group sessions and seven individual sessions with a dietitian.

Supplemental barley protein and casein similarly affect serum lipids in hypercholesterolemic women and men.

High-protein diets have been advocated for weight loss and the treatment of diabetes. Yet animal protein sources are often high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Vegetable protein sources, by contrast, are low in saturated fat and without associated cholesterol.

Physicochemical properties of oat β-glucan influence its ability to reduce serum LDL cholesterol in humans: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Consumption of 3 g oat β-glucan/d is considered sufficient to lower serum LDL cholesterol, but some studies have shown no effect. LDL cholesterol lowering by oat β-glucan may depend on viscosity, which is controlled by the molecular weight (MW) and amount of oat β-glucan solubilized in the intestine (C).

Objectives: Our 2 primary objectives were to determine whether consumption of 3 g high-MW oat β-glucan/d would reduce LDL cholesterol and whether LDL cholesterol lowering was related to the log(MW × C) of oat β-glucan.

The MRN complex in double-strand break repair and telomere maintenance.

Genomes are subject to constant threat by damaging agents that generate DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The ends of linear chromosomes need to be protected from DNA damage recognition and end-joining, and this is achieved through protein-DNA complexes known as telomeres. The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex plays important roles in detection and signaling of DSBs, as well as the repair pathways of homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ).

Effect of the Mediterranean diet with and without weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors in men with the metabolic syndrome.

Background And Aims: No study has yet examined how weight loss modifies the impact of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on cardiovascular risk factors in men with the metabolic syndrome (MetS). The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of MedDiet, with and without weight loss, to modify the cardiometabolic risk profile of male patients with MetS.

Methods And Results: Twenty-six men aged between 24 and 62 years with the MetS consumed a North American control diet for 5 weeks followed by a 5-week MedDiet, both under weight-maintaining conditions.

Plasma matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 levels are reduced following low-calorie cranberry juice supplementation in men.

Objective: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, also known as gelatinase B, is implicated in the development of hypertension and atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability to rupture, an important step in the etiology of cardiovascular diseases. Studies have suggested that flavonoid consumption may be cardioprotective, and its favorable impact on circulating MMP-9 concentrations could partly explain this association. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of consuming increasing daily doses of low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) on plasma MMP-9 concentrations of abdominally obese men.

Plasma adiponectin concentration is strongly associated with VLDL-TG catabolism in postmenopausal women.

Background And Aims: To investigate associations between plasma adiponectin concentration and very-low density lipoprotein-triglyceride (VLDL-TG) secretion and catabolism in postmenopausal women.

Methods And Results: This cross-sectional study included 30 postmenopausal women. Plasma adiponectin concentration was measured by ELISA.

Intermittent claudication: From its risk factors to its long-term prognosis in men. The Quebec Cardiovascular Study.

Background: The natural history of intermittent claudication, from its risk factors to its cardiovascular prognosis, has been reported in few prospective studies.

Objective: To assess incident intermittent claudication, as well as its risk factors and long-term prognosis in men.

Methods: A random sample of 4376 men 35 to 64 years of age from Quebec City (Quebec), who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD), was evaluated in 1974 for CVD risk factors and followed until 1998.

An LC-IMS-MS platform providing increased dynamic range for high-throughput proteomic studies.

A high-throughput approach and platform using 15 min reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography (RPLC) separations in conjunction with ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) measurements was evaluated for the rapid analysis of complex proteomics samples. To test the separation quality of the short LC gradient, a sample was prepared by spiking 20 reference peptides at varying concentrations from 1 ng/mL to 10 microg/mL into a tryptic digest of mouse blood plasma and analyzed with both a LC-Linear Ion Trap Fourier Transform (FT) MS and LC-IMS-TOF MS. The LC-FT MS detected 13 out of the 20 spiked peptides that had concentrations >or=100 ng/mL.

Assessment of the validity of the frequently used lipid indices for predicting LDL peak particle diameter in a large cohort of 1955 normal and dyslipidemic subjects.

Objectives: To assess the relationship between commonly used lipid indices and LDL peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) in a large cohort of 1955 subjects.

Design And Methods: Four statistical methods were used for comparison: correlation, concordance analysis, kappa statistics and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.

Results: Plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, TG/HDL-C, LDL-C/apoB, total cholesterol (TC)/TG, LDL-C/TG, and TG/apoB ratios were best correlated with LDL-PPD but none of these ratios accounted for more than 45% of the variation in LDL-PPD.

Dietary vaccenic acid has antiatherogenic effects in LDLr-/- mice.

Epidemiological evidence has associated dietary trans fatty acids (TFA) with heart disease. TFA are primarily from hydrogenated fats rich in elaidic acid, but dairy products also contain naturally occurring TFA such as vaccenic acid. Our purpose in this study was to compare the effects of consuming a commercially hydrogenated vegetable shortening rich in elaidic TFA (18:1t9) or a butter rich in vaccenic TFA (18:1t11) in the absence and presence of dietary cholesterol on atherosclerosis.