A newly released study in The Journal of Nutrition reported significant reductions in LDL cholesterol in response to consumption of snack foods formulated with cholesterol-lowering food ingredients.

Many adults are unable or unwilling to take prescribed medication to lower blood lipid levels. Therefore, researcher Stephen Kopecky (Mayo Clinic) and colleagues conducted a double-blind randomized crossover clinical trial to determine if highly palatable tasting snacks formulated with cholesterol-lowering food ingredients could provide a therapeutic alternative. Outcome variables included changes in total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins, fasting glucose, insulin, inflammatory biomarkers, and genetic variants.

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of snacks formulated with blood lipid lowering ingredients including fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterols, and antioxidants, a 2-phase study that included 54 adults was conducted. Study participants were instructed to consume ready-to-eat snacks twice daily as a substitute for something they were consuming already. For comparison purposes, calorie-matched food products from the marketplace were provided as a control. Blood samples were measured at baseline and at the end of each 4-week study phase (formulated snacks vs. marketplace snacks).

Blood LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations decreased by 10.8 mg/dL and 10.4 mg/dL, respectively, in the formulated snack treatment compared with control values. A similar reduction in triglycerides was also observed in response to treatment foods compared with control foods. Genetic variants were not significantly related to outcomes.

Given that some participants experienced 20% or greater LDL cholesterol reductions, the magnitude of this dietary approach is promising. The clinical outcomes observed in this study expand the breadth of options available for treating elevated blood lipid values, especially among those unwilling or unable to take lipid-lowering medication.

References

Stephen L Kopecky, Soumya Alias, Elizabeth Klodas, Peter J H Jones, Reduction in Serum LDL Cholesterol Using a Nutrient Compendium in Hyperlipidemic Adults Unable or Unwilling to Use Statin Therapy: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 152, Issue 2, February 2022, Pages 458–465, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab375.

Images via canva.com.

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Kathy Beerman, PhD

Dr. Kathy Beerman teaches in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. The author of several published articles, she is interested in research that focuses on the efficacy of a novel approach to treating iron deficiency anemia in rural regions of Guatemala and Ecuador. Dr. Beerman teaches an undergraduate nutrition course for health majors, as well as a course that prepares students to participate in a 10-day medical mission to Guatemala. Since joining the faculty at Washington State University in 1990, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards (the Burlington Northern Faculty Meritorious Achievement in Teaching Award, the R.M. Wade Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction). More recently, she received the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award in International Activities (2017) and the President’s Award for Leadership (2018). Other scholarly activities include co-author of two introductory nutrition textbooks (Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food and NUTR).