Db. Hunninghake et al., HYPOCHOLESTEROLEMIC EFFECTS OF A DIETARY FIBER SUPPLEMENT, The American journal of clinical nutrition, 59(5), 1994, pp. 1050-1054
The cholesterol-lowering effects of a fiber supplement were evaluated
in patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia. After a 9-wk d
iet stabilization period, patients were randomly assigned to treatment
with 10 or 20 g/d of the fiber supplement or with a matching placebo.
Among patients who completed the 15-wk treatment period, total choles
terol, LDL cholesterol, and the ratio of LDL to HDL (LDL/HDL) were sig
nificantly reduced (P < 0.05) for the 10- (n = 40) and 20-g/d (n = 39)
groups compared with the placebo group (n = 48). In the placebo group
and 10- and 20-g/d groups, the percent changes in total cholesterol w
ere 0.4%, -5.8%, and -4.9%, in LDL cholesterol were -0.4%, -8.1%, and
-7.3%, and in LDL/HDL were 1.0%, -5.6%, and -8.7%, respectively. The f
iber supplement had no significant effects (P > 0.05) on HDL cholester
ol or triglycerides. The changes in lipoprotein concentrations could n
ot be attributed to changes in diet or body weight because there were
no significant changes in these variables during the 15-wk treatment p
eriod.