Phytonutrients of Bitter Apricot Seeds Modulate Human Lipid Profile and LDL Subfractions in Adults with Elevated Cholesterol Levels.

Jana Kopčeková,Anna Kolesárová,Marianna Schwarzová,Peter Chlebo,Adriana Kolesárová,Martina Gažarová,Anton Kováčik,Petra Lenártová,Jana Mrázová

doi:10.3390/ijerph19020857

Jana Kopčeková, Anna Kolesárová + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020857

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Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of short-term consumption of bitter apricot seeds phytonutrients on cardiovascular risk factors with a special focus on LDL cholesterol subfractions using the Lipoprint system. A group of 34 adult volunteers (21 female/13 male) consumed 60 mg kg−1 of body weight of bitter apricot seeds daily for 42 days. Subjects were divided into two groups: one with normal cholesterol levels (NTC) and one with elevated total cholesterol levels (ETC). Blood serum levels of total cholesterol (T-C), low-density cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) did not change significantly (p > 0.05) in NTC group. However, there were significant decreasing of T-C (p ˂ 0.05) and LDL-C (p < 0.01) in ETC group. The LDL1, LDL2, and atherogenic LDL3−7 subfractions progressively decreased after 42 days of apricot seeds consumption in ETC group (p < 0.05). Apricot seeds consumption was associated with a significant increase in the mean LDL particle size especially in ETC group (p ˂ 0.01). The results of the present study support the hypothesis that daily consumption of bitter apricot seeds for 42 days positively modified the lipoprotein profile in the group with elevated total cholesterol.

Highlights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the world’s leading cause of morbidity and mortality [1,2]
Dyslipidemia is characterized by elevated levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C), small and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL), triglyceride (TG), and low serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and its lipoprotein subfractions, which correlate with an increased risk for CVD [10,11,12,13]
When comparing changes in body composition, we found a significant decrease in body weight (BW), body fat mass (BFM), and body mass index (BMI) in the normal total cholesterol (NTC) group, but we observed a significant increase in BW, visceral fat area (VFA), and BMI in the elevated total cholesterol levels (ETC) group

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the world’s leading cause of morbidity and mortality [1,2]. Atherosclerosis is the dominant cause of cardiovascular disease [3], including myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, stroke, and claudication [4]. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis involves a complex interplay of endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, lipid accumulation, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, matrix transformation and calcification, and persistent inflammation and leads to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque [2,6,7,8]. A major risk factor for CVD is dyslipidemia, which occurs mainly in adults worldwide and is defined as an abnormal blood lipids level [9]. Hypercholesterolemia was reported as the highest attributable risk factor for atherosclerosis and subsequent coronary heart

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