Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effects of low-fat stanol ester margarines on concentrations of serum carotenoids.
Design: A randomized parallel double-blind study design consisting of a 4-week run-in (high-fat diet) and an 8-week experimental (low-fat, low-cholesterol diet) period. During the experimental diet period subjects consumed low-fat wood stanol ester (WSEM), vegetable oil stanol ester (VOSEM) or control (no stanol esters) margarine daily. The daily mean total stanol intake was 2.31 and 2.16 g in the WSEM and VOSEM groups, respectively.
Setting: Outpatient clinical trial with free-living subjects.
Subjects: Altogether, 60 hypercholesterolaemic subjects were selected for the study out of 91 originally screened. The study was completed by 55 subjects.
Main outcomes measures: Serum α- and β-carotene and lycopene determined by the HPLC.
Results: Serum α-carotene concentration did not change significantly in either of the experimental groups, whereas β-carotene concentration decreased significantly in the WSEM and VOSEM groups (P<0.01), and the change differed significantly (P<0.05 and P <0.01, respectively) from that of the control group. Decrease in α+β-carotene concentration was significantly greater (P <0.05) in both experimental groups than in the control group. However, the change in α-, β- or α+β-carotene/total cholesterol ratio did not differ significantly among the groups. No significant changes were found in serum lycopene or lycopene/total cholesterol ratio in both experimental groups.
Conclusions: Low-fat stanol ester margarines appeared to have little effect on serum concentrations of α-, β- or α + β-carotene, or lycopene.
Sponsorship: Grant to the University of Kuopio by Raisio Benecol Ltd, Raisio, Finland.
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Contributions
Contributors: MIJU was responsible for study design. MAH recruited the subjects, gave nutrition counsel, analysed and interpreted the data and wrote the manuscript. MIJU and ESS contributed to planning the diets, interpreting the data and writing the manuscript.
Guarantor: M Uusitupa
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Hallikainen, M., Sarkkinen, E. & Uusitupa, M. Effects of low-fat stanol ester enriched margarines on concentrations of serum carotenoids in subjects with elevated serum cholesterol concentrations. Eur J Clin Nutr 53, 966–969 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600882
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600882
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