Partial replacement of complex digestible carbohydrates with monounsaturated fatty acids (avocado as one of its main sources) in the diet of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus improves the lipid profile favorably, maintains an adequate glycemic control, and offers a good management alternative.
Objective. To examine low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size, LDL susceptibility to oxidation, and plasma insulin levels in children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods. Fifty-nine SLE patients and 59 healthy, age-matched control subjects were studied. LDL size was determined by gradient gel electrophoresis. LDL oxidizability was assessed by lag time for conjugated diene formation during copper incubation. Plasma levels of fasting insulin, glucose, lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins B and A-I, and fatty acids were also measured.Results. Compared with control subjects, SLE patients showed significantly higher plasma insulin levels and increased susceptibility of LDLs to oxidation. Patients with active disease were more likely than patients with inactive disease or control subjects to have the following lipid characteristics: small, dense LDL subclass, elevated total cholesterol levels, elevated LDL cholesterol levels, elevated triglyceride levels, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Statistically significant direct correlations were observed between disease activity and triglyceride levels and between disease activity and lag time, whereas significant inverse correlations were found between disease activity and HDL-C levels and between disease activity and LDL size. Prednisone dosage explained only 15.6% of the variance in insulin levels.Conclusion. SLE patients have higher plasma insulin levels and increased LDL oxidizability compared with healthy control subjects. These abnormalities may contribute to the accelerated atherosclerosis observed in patients with SLE.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate in a population-based random sample of postmenopausal women the adjusted association of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) with coronary risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based random sample study. SUBJECTS: Ninety-eight postmenopausal women (age 50 -65 y). MEASUREMENTS: Visceral and subcutaneous fat areas by computer axial tomography, anthropometry, lipid profile, fasting glucose and insulin, diet, physical activity, smoking status and alcohol intake. RESULTS: Compared to women with low VAT, women with high VAT ( > 117.8 cm 2 ) had a less favorable metabolic profile with significantly higher fasting glucose (120 AE 50 vs 98 AE 39), insulin (7.9 AE 10 vs 5 AE 8), triglycerides (172 AE 69 vs 127 AE 72), apolipoprotein B (119 AE 24 vs 98 AE 32) and significantly lower HDL-C (38 AE 10 vs 46 AE 14) values in the whole sample (n ¼ 98). A similar profile was found in women without diabetes and hypertension (n ¼ 39). In multiple regression models, VAT explained a portion of the variance of TG (6.2%) in the entire sample and of total cholesterol (12.4%), LDL-C (15.8%), triglycerides (16.3%), apolipoprotein B (11.6%), and fasting glucose (28.4%) in the group of non-diabetic or hypertensive women. Our VAT cut-off point of 117.8 cm 2 corresponded to a waist circumference of 84 cm. CONCLUSION: Our results in a random population-based sample of postmenopausal women confirm the association of VAT with most coronary risk factors. These associations persisted after adjusting for diet, physical activity, smoking status and alcohol intake.
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