Abstract
We investigated the effects of a Mediterranean‐style low glycemic diet with (n=20) or without (n=15) a medical food containing soy protein and plant sterols, rho iso‐alpha acids, and proanthocyanidins on plasma carotenoid concentrations and on lipoprotein subfractions and size in 35 women classified with metabolic syndrome. Independent of treatment, women had an increase in plasma lutein (P <0.0001), zeaxanthin (P < 0.05) and beta‐carotene (P < 0.0001), while lycopene was reduced (P < 0.05) after 12 wk. LDL cholesterol (LDL‐C) was reduced from 139.5 ± 34.6 to 113.4 ± 33.7 mg/dL (P < 0.0001). In addition, decreases were observed in the atherogenic subfractions: large VLDL (P < 0.05), small LDL (P < 0.00001) and medium HDL (p < 0.05). Plasma lutein concentrations at wk 12 were negatively correlated with large VLDL (r= −0.349, P < 0.05) and small LDL (r= −0.340, P < 0.05) and positively correlated with LDL size (r = 0.337, P < 0.05). In contrast, plasma lycopene was positively correlated with LDL‐C. The data indicate that women complied with the dietary regimen by increasing vegetable intake. The decrease in high glycemic foods rich in lycopene such as pasta and pizza may be responsible for the lowering of this carotenoid in plasma after 12 wk. The results also suggest that lutein transport in plasma is associated with the formation of larger LDL while the lowering in plasma LDL‐C is associated with the lowering of plasma lycopene. [Supported by MetaProteomics LLC, Gig Harbor, WA]
Published Version
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