Research Abstracts
Effects of diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins-the Jerusalem Nutrition Study. II monounsaturated fatty acids vs. carbohydrates.
Berry, E.M., S. Eisenberg, Y. Friedlander, D. Haratz, N.A. Kaufmann, Y. Norman, Y. Stein, 1992. Effects of diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins – the Jerusalem Nutrition Study. II monounsaturated fatty acids vs. carbohydrates. Am J Clin Nutr. 56:394-403.
Seventeen male Yeshiva students were randomly allocated to a crossover study with two 12-wk dietary periods of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) vs a carbohydrate (CHO)-rich diet while concentrations of saturated (SFAs) and polyunsaturated (PUFAs) fatty acids were kept similar. Total plasma cholesterol (TC) decreased significantly by approximately 7.7% and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 14.4% on the MUFA diet, whereas on the CHO diet no significant change in cholesterol concentrations occurred, in contrast to that predicted by the equations of Keys and Hegsted. Concentrations of high-density- lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) did not change significantly on either diet. On the MUFA diet there was a significantly lower proneness to peroxidation of plasma and LDL lipids and less extensive metabolism of conditioned LDL by peritoneal macrophages. We conclude that dietary MUFAs lower TC and LDL-C concentrations, independently of other dietary fatty acids and in addition may reduce the susceptibility of LDL to oxidative stress.