Effect of psyllium in hypercholesterolemia at two monounsaturated fatty acid intakes

David J.A. Jenkins, Thomas M.S. Wolever, Edward Vidgen, Cyril W.C. Kendall, Thomas P.P. Ransom, Christine C. Mehling, Sharon Mueller, Stephen C. Cunnane, Nancy C. O'Connell, Kenneth D.R. Setchell, Herbert Lau, Jerome M. Teitel, M. Bernadette Garvey, Victor Fulgoni, Philip W. Connelly, Robert Patten, Paul N. Corey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We performed two studies to determine whether the lipid-lowering effect of viscous soluble fiber was modified by monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). First, psyllium (1.4 g/MJ) was compared with wheat bran (control) in 1-mo metabolic diets by using a randomized crossover design (n = 32 hyperlipidemic subjects). The background diet contained ≃6% of energy as MUFA (20% of total fat). The second study (n = 27 hyperlipidemic subjects) was similar to the first but the background diet contained ≃12% MUFA (29% of total fat) because of the addition of canola oil. At both fat intakes, psyllium resulted in significant reductions in total, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL), and high- density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol compared with the wheat bran control. For the psyllium diet at 6% compared with 12% MUFA, the decreases in LDL cholesterol were 12.3 ± 1.5% (P < 0.001) and 15.3 ± 2.4% (P < 0.001), respectively. With the higher-MUFA diet triacylglycerol fell significantly over the control phase (16.6 ± 5.5%, P = 0.006) and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol fell significantly over the psyllium phase (7.3 ± 2.8%, P = 0.015). Psyllium and MUFA intakes were negatively related to the percentage change in the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol (r = -0.34. P = 0.019 and r = - 0.44, P = 0.002, respectively). Chenodeoxycholate synthesis rate increased (30 ± 13%, P = 0.038) with the psyllium diet in the 12 subjects in whom this was assessed. We conclude that psyllium lowered LDL- and HDL-cholesterol concentrations similarly at both MUFA intakes. However, there may some advantage in combining soluble fiber and MUFA to reduce the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1524-1533
Number of pages10
JournalAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume65
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 1997

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Nutrition and Dietetics

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