Background/aims: A healthy diet is a key factor in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for women in industrialized countries. In this regard, soluble fibers may have beneficial effects on the plasma lipoprotein/lipid profile. The objective of the present study was to investigate the plasma lipoprotein/lipid response to dietary fibers in overweight premenopausal women within a randomized controlled trial.
Methods: Following a 2-week run-in phase, 34 premenopausal women (age: 22-53 years) were randomly assigned either to the control group (no supplement) or to the treatment group, which received 2 oat bran-enriched muffins per day (28 g/day of oat bran) during 4 weeks.
Results: Supplementation with oat bran had a beneficial effect on plasma HDL-C levels. Indeed, compared to the control group (n = 16), a mean increase in plasma HDL-C levels of 11.2% was observed in women eating the oat bran supplement (n = 18) (p = 0.01), whereas the total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio decreased by 7.0% (p = 0.002). Results were similar after adjustment for age, apo E genotype and weight change.
Conclusion: These results suggest that oat bran-rich foods have beneficial effect on the metabolic profile of overweight women. Integration of these foods as part of a healthy diet may, therefore, improve the cardiovascular risk profile of women.
2005 S. Karger AG, Basel