Research Abstracts
A nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern is associated with a decrease in circulating oxidized LDL particles in healthy women from the Québec City metropolitan area
Lapointe, A., J. Goulet, C. Couillard, B. Lamarche, S. Lemieux, 2005. A nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern is associated with a decrease in circulating oxidized LDL particles in healthy women from the Québec City metropolitan area. J. Nutr. 135:410-15.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern under free-living conditions on circulating oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) in a group of 71 healthy women from the Quebec City metropolitan area. The 12-wk nutritional intervention consisted of 2 courses on nutrition and 7 individual sessions with a dietitian. A score based on the 11 components of the Mediterranean pyramid was established to determine the women’s adherence to the Mediterranean food pattern. Plasma ox-LDL concentrations were measured by a monoclonal antibody mAb-4E6–based competition ELISA. Among all women, plasma ox-LDL decreased by 11.3% after 12 wk of nutritional intervention (P < 0.0001) despite a lack of change in plasma LDL cholesterol (LDL-C). Also, an increase in the Mediterranean dietary score was significantly correlated with a decrease in ox-LDL concentrations (r=-0.30; P< 0.01). More specifically, increases in servings of fruits (r= –0.25; P<0.05) and vegetables (r= –0.24; P< 0.05) were associated with decreases in ox-LDL concentrations. Changes in the food pattern in response to a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern were accompanied by beneficial effects in circulating ox-LDL concentrations in healthy women.