High-monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations

Background: Low-fat diets increase plasma triacylglycerol and decrease HDL- cholesterol concentrations, thereby potentially adversely affecting cardiov ascular disease (CVD) risk. High-monounsaturnted fatty acid (MUFA), cholest erol-lowering diets do not raise triacylglycerol or lower HDL cholesterol, but little is known about how peanut products, a rich sourer of MUFAs, affe ct CVD risk. Objective: The present study compared the CVD risk profile of an Average Am erican diet (AAD) with those of 4 cholesterol-lowering diets: an American H eart Association/National Cholesterol Education Program Step II diet and 3 high-MUFA diets [olive oil (OO), peanut oil (PO), and peanuts and peanut bu tter (PPB)]. Design: A randomized, double-blind, 5-period crossover study design (n = 22 ) was used to examine the effects of the diets on serum Lipids and lipoprot eins: AAD [34% fat; 16% saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 11% MUFAs], Step II ( 25% fat; 7% SFAs, 12% MUFAs), OO (34% far; 7% SFAs, 21% MUFAs), PO (34% fat ; 7% SFAs, 17% MUFAs), and PPB (36% fat; 8% SFAs, 18% MUFAs). Results: The high-MUFA diets lowered total cholesterol by 10% and LDL chole sterol by 14%. This response was comparable with that observed for the Step II diet. Triacylglycerol concentrations were 13% lower in subjects consumi ng the high-MUFA diets and were 11% higher with the Step II diet than with the AAD. The high-MUFA diets did not: lower HDL cholesterol whereas the Ste p IT diet lowered it by 4% compared with the AAD. The OO, PO, and PPB diets decreased CVD risk by an estimated 25%, 16%, and 21%. respectively, wherea s the Step TT diet lowered CVD risk by 12%. Conclusion: A high-MUFA, cholesterol-lowering diet may be preferable to a l ow-fat diet because of more favorable effects on the CVD risk profile.