Monounsaturated Diet Research Articles

Vitamin C level and dietary fat saturation alter hepatic cholesterol homeostasis and plasma LDL metabolism in guinea pigs

This study addressed the independent and interactive effects of vitamin C status and dietary fat saturation on hepatic cholesterol and LDL metabolism in guinea pigs. Animals were fed adequate (500 mg/kg) or marginal (50 mg/kg) vitamin C with diets high in polyunsaturated (POLY), monounsaturated (MONO), or saturated (SAT) fatty acids during 6 weeks. Plasma cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG), and apo B concentrations were higher in animals fed vitamin C-deficient compared with Vit C-adequate diets ( P < 0.02). SAT fat intake also resulted in more elevated plasma cholesterol and apo B concentrations ( P < 0.001). The susceptibility of LDL to oxidation was highest in animals fed POLY diets and marginal levels of vitamin C ( P < 0.001). Intake of adequate levels of vitamin C significantly reduced TBARS formation by 64% in animals fed POLY diets indicating an interactive effect between POLY fat intake and the level of vitamin C. Hepatic Acyl CoA cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity was higher by SAT fat intake ( P < 0.01) and marginal intake of vitamin C ( P < 0.05), whereas cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity was lower in vitamin C-deficient groups ( P < 0.01). LDL fractional catabolic rates (FCR) were 42 to 67% faster and LDL apo B flux slower in animals fed POLY and MONO diets compared with the SAT group ( P < 0.001). Animals fed marginal levels of vitamin C had higher LDL apo B flux ( P < 0.05). These data suggest that the higher plasma LDL concentrations induced by SAT diets are caused by both slower LDL FCR and higher LDL apo B flux, whereas the hypercholesterolemia and hypetriglyceridemia induced by vitamin C deficiency with POLY and MONO diets is mainly caused by alterations in hepatic cholesterol homeostasis, which result in higher LDL apo B flux.

Diet Fat Saturation and Feeding State Modulate Rates of Cholesterol Synthesis in Normolipidemic Men ,

To determine whether diets differing in fats affect cholesterol synthesis in normal individuals, nine men were randomly assigned to three groups that received three diets in a crossover design for 2 wk. Diets were either monounsaturated (MONO), polyunsaturated (POLY), or saturated (SAT). Subjects then drank a dose of deuterium oxide, and unesterified cholesterol fractional synthesis rates (FSR) were calculated during consecutive fed and unfed periods. Absolute synthesis was calculated as the product of FSR and pool size, the latter obtained from a decay curve following a [4-14C]cholesterol injection. Serum cholesterol concentrations varied with each diet consumed (P = 0.001); the SAT diet produced the highest and the POLY diet the lowest. Triglyceride concentrations were highest when subjects consumed the SAT diet and lowest with the POLY diet (P = 0.03); values obtained with the MONO diet did not differ significantly from those seen otherwise. HDL cholesterol concentrations were lowest when the SAT diet was consumed, highest when subjects were fed the MONO diet (P = 0.05), and midway but not significantly different with the POLY diet. Cholesterol FSR were greater when subjects consumed (P = 0.001) rather than not, and FSR during 12-h periods were greater (P = 0.045) when subjects ate the POLY diet rather than the SAT diet. Absolute synthesis was also greater (P = 0.04) when subjects were fed, but did not differ with fat type (P = 0.789). Results suggest that cholesterol synthesis is greater when men are fed than when they are not fed, and reduced synthesis is not responsible for the effect of different fats on cholesterol concentrations.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids result in greater cholesterol lowering and less triacylglycerol elevation than do monounsaturated fatty acids in a dose-response comparison in a multiracial study group

Cholesterol-lowering effects of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were compared as they were varied in a reciprocal dose-dependent fashion in the context of a National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Step 1 diet. The study population comprised 63 moderately hypercholesterolemic African American and white men and women. After a 6-wk baseline diet containing 37% of energy from total fat and 15% from saturated fat, participants consumed four diets for 6 wk each, in random order, containing 10% of energy as saturated fatty acids; 3%, 6%, 10%, and 14% of energy as polyunsaturated fatty acids; and 17%, 14%, 10%, and 6% of energy as monounsaturated fatty acids. Dietary cholesterol, fiber, plant sterol, and squalene contents were constant with all four diets. There was a progressive decrease in total (P = 0.028) and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.184) across the four diets, with the greatest decrease observed in the diet with the highest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids; a small but significant decrease in high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol that did not show a trend between the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated diets; and a trend between the four diets in triacylglycerol elevations (P = 0.029), with the smallest increment occurring in the diets highest in polyunsaturates. The magnitude of the cholesterol-lowering response was greater in those with higher baseline cholesterol and less in those who were more obese. The dietary response was similar in both ethnic groups and in both sexes. In conclusion, in an NCEP Step 1 diet containing 30% total fat, with all other known cholesterol-influencing dietary factors held constant, the substitution of polyunsaturated fatty acid for monounsaturated fatty acid from 3% to 14% resulted in a progressive decline in total cholesterol and less triacylglycerol elevations, without effect on HDL cholesterol.

Diets enriched in unsaturated fatty acids enhance apolipoprotein A-I catabolism but do not affect either its production or hepatic mRNA abundance in cynomolgus monkeys

To determine the mechanisms whereby dietary fatty acids influence high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I concentrations, ten cynomolgus monkeys were fed each of three experimental diets enriched in saturated (SAT), monounsaturated (MONO), or polyunsaturated (POLY) fatty acids in a crossover design consisting of three 13-week periods, with each animal serving as its own control. Each diet contained 30% of energy as fat with 0.22 mg cholesterol/kcal and differed solely by the isocaloric substitution of fatty acids as 18% of total energy calories. The replacement of dietary saturated fatty acids with either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively, resulted in significant reductions of plasma total cholesterol ( − 17%; − 30%), HDL cholesterol ( − 32%; − 41%), and apo A-I (− 37%; − 44%) concentrations, while no significant differences were noted in. plasma lipid or apo A-I concentrations when the MONO and POLY phases were compared. Although the MONO and POLY diets were similar in their effects on plasma lipids and apolipoproteins, the HDL of monkeys fed the POLY diet, as compared with either the SAT or the MONO diets, contained more cholesteryl ester and phospholipid but less total protein, resulting in a significantly lower total lipid to protein constituent ratio. Metabolic experiments revealed that the significantly lower plasma apo A-I concentrations observed during both the MONO and POLY phases relative to SAT were directly attributable to enhanced HDL apo A-I catabolism. Conversely, neither HDL apo A-I production rates nor hepatic apo A-I mRNA concentrations were significantly affected by dietary fatty acid perturbation in this study. Taken together, these data indicate that fractional catabolic rate is the predominant mechanism by which dietary fatty acids differentially modulate circulating concentrations of HDL apo A-1 in this species when all other dietary variables are held constant.

Effect of long-chain mono-unsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on postprandial blood and liver lipids in rats.

The effects on blood and liver lipids after feeding rats with concentrated fractions from fish oil consisting of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (80% C20:1 and 22:1) or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (85% C20:5 and 22:6 n-3) were examined. Mono-unsaturated fat had no effects on plasma triacylglycerol, total cholesterol phospholipids or unesterified fatty acid as compared to controls (lard). However, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-fed animals showed a significant decrease in plasma triacylglycerol (74%), phospholipids (40%) and unesterified fatty acids (52%). The concentrated fractions had no effects on liver lipids. While the n-3 diet increased peroxisomal beta-oxidation 2.5-fold, there was only a slight increase with the mono-unsaturated diet. The fatty acid composition in plasma and liver phospholipids was changed with the various diets; 20:4 n-6 was significantly reduced in plasma and liver with the mono-unsaturated diet, and with the n-3 diet in liver. The mono-unsaturated diet, and especially the n-3 diet, increased the 20:5 n-3 level in both plasma and liver. Our results indicate that long-chain mono-unsaturated fatty acids in fish oil do not change the levels of plasma lipids. The beneficial role of fish oil on the level of blood lipids, may therefore be mostly attributed to the effects of long-chain n-3 fatty acids. However, the low 20:4 n-6 and high 20:5 n-3 levels in plasma and liver phospholipids with the concentrated mono-unsaturated fatty acid diet may be of importance for a favourable haemostatic balance with regard to cardiovascular diseases.

Effects of dietary fat saturation on plasma lipoprotein(a) and hepatic apolipoprotein(a) mRNA concentrations in cynomolgus monkeys

Plasma lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentration is an independent risk factor for the development of premature coronary artery disease. Although the majority of available data indicates that circulating Lp(a) levels are under strict genetic regulation, there is some evidence that this parameter may be subject to dietary modification as well. The effects of dietary fat saturation on plasma Lp(a) levels and hepatic apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)) mRNA abundance were examined in ten unrelated cynomolgus monkeys which were fed each of three experimental diets enriched in saturated (SAT), monounsaturated (MONO), or polyunsaturated (POLY) fatty acids in a crossover design consisting of three 13-week periods. Each diet contained 30% of calories as fat with 0.1% dietary cholesterol by weight and differed solely by the isocaloric substitution of fatty acids as 60% of total fat calories. The mean Lp(a) level for these animals during the SAT diet (13.4 ± 2.4 mg/dl) was significantly greater as compared with those observed during the MONO (8.6 ± 2.2 mg/dl, P < 0.0003) and POLY (9.3 ± 2.1 mg/dl, P < 0.002) diets, while the difference noted between the MONO and POLY diets was nonsignificant. Hepatic apo(a) mRNA abundance was decreased in these animals during the MONO diet relative to both the SAT and POLY diets, with only the difference between the SAT and MONO diets achieving statistical significance ( P < 0.02). Our data demonstrate that the substitution of dietary SATs with either MONOs or POLYs result in significant reductions of Lp(a) levels in these monkeys. However, only the MONO diet significantly decreased hepatic apo(a) mRNA levels relative to the SAT diet, suggesting that dietary MONOs and POLYs may differ in the manner by which they regulate plasma Lp(a) levels.