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Consumption of a controlled low-fat diet containing olestra for 9 months improves health risk factors in conjunction with weight loss in obese men: the Ole' Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 27, pages 1242–1249 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of a standard American diet, a traditional low-fat diet, and a low-fat diet containing the fat substitute olestra on risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

DESIGN: A 9-month, double-blind, randomized, parallel-arm, feeding study comparing three diets: (1) control (33% fat), (2) fat-reduced (FR; 25% fat), and (3) fat-substituted (FS) where olestra replaced 1/3 of dietary fat (33% lipid and 25% digestible fat). Subjects were allowed to adjust their total energy intake as desired, allowing weight to fluctuate.

SUBJECTS: A total of 37 healthy, obese men (age 36.7±1.3 y; body mass index 30.8±0.4 kg/m2).

MEASUREMENTS: Body weight and composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, blood pressure, serum lipids, lipoproteins, hemostatic factors, glucose, insulin, and leptin at baseline and every 3 months.

RESULTS: The FS group lost 6.27 kg of body weight by 9 months vs 4.0 kg in the control and 1.79 kg in the FR groups. There was a significant diet main effect on cholesterol (P=0.002), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.003), and triglycerides (P=0.01), all of which decreased in the FS group but not the other groups by 9 months. Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) increased in the FR and control groups but was unchanged in the FS group (diet main effect P=0.04). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased in all groups over 9 months (time main effect P=0.0001). Time main effects were also observed for cholesterol, ApoA1, ApoB, Factor VII, diastolic blood pressure, and glucose. After adjustment for % fat loss at 9 months, the effects of diet on change in risk factors remained significant only for triglycerides.

DISCUSSION: Consumption of a low-fat diet containing olestra for 9 months produced significant improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, an effect largely explained by weight loss. Long-term low-fat diet consumption with or without olestra does not decrease HDL cholesterol.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the volunteers and their families for the sustained effort required to participate in this study. We also thank Ms Susan Mancuso, RN, BSN, for her skilled coordination of the study, and Ms Terri Keller, MS, RD, for her assistance in meal planning and preparation, and the rest of the Metabolic Kitchen and clinical research staff. Supported in part by U.S. Department of Agriculture Grant # 96034323-3031 and the Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, OH, USA.

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Author notes

  1. A L Eldridge

    Present address: General Mills, Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, 9000 Plymouth Ave. North, Minneapolis, MN, 55427, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    J C Lovejoy, G A Bray, M Lefevre, S R Smith, M M Most, Y M Denkins, J Volaufova & J C Rood

  2. The Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, OH, USA

    A L Eldridge & J C Peters

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Correspondence to J C Lovejoy.

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Lovejoy, J., Bray, G., Lefevre, M. et al. Consumption of a controlled low-fat diet containing olestra for 9 months improves health risk factors in conjunction with weight loss in obese men: the Ole' Study. Int J Obes 27, 1242–1249 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802373

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