A nutrient‐dense, high‐fiber, fruit‐based supplement bar increases HDL cholesterol, particularly large HDL, lowers homocysteine, and raises glutathione in a 2‐wk trial

Abstract

Dietary intake modulates disease risk, but little is known how components within food mixtures affect pathophysiology. A low-calorie, high-fiber, fruit-based nutrient-dense bar of defined composition (e.g., vitamins and minerals, fruit polyphenolics, β-glucan, docosahexaenoic acid) appropriate for deconstruction and mechanistic studies is described and evaluated in a pilot trial. The bar was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Changes in cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk biomarkers were measured after 2 wk twice-daily consumption of the bar, and compared against baseline controls in 25 healthy adults. Plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) increased 6.2% (P=0.001), due primarily to a 28% increase in large HDL (HDL-L; P<0.0001). Total plasma homocysteine (Hcy) decreased 19% (P=0.017), and glutathione (GSH) increased 20% (P=0.011). The changes in HDL and Hcy are in the direction associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline; increased GSH reflects improved antioxidant defense. Changes in biomarkers linked to insulin resistance and inflammation were not observed. A defined food-based supplement can, within 2 wk, positively impact metabolic biomarkers linked to disease risk. These results lay the groundwork for mechanistic/deconstruction experiments to identify critical bar components and putative synergistic combinations responsible for observed effects.

A multicomponent nutrient bar promotes weight loss and improves dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in the overweight/obese: chronic inflammation blunts these improvements

“…HDL-c increased in 76% of participants, with an overall average increase of 4.1 6 1.0 mg/dl (P , 0.001), and HDL-2b increased 492 6 148 nM (P , 0.007). The additional major change observed in this study was a large increase in the adipokine adiponectin, not measured in our earlier study (51), which also increased very significantly at 2 wk (+1026 6 405 ng/ml; P , 0.002) and 8 wk (+1475 ng/ml; P = 0.005).…”

“…Our previous report (51) indicated that twice-daily consumption of the nutrient bar for 2 wk resulted in a striking increase in most participants in HDLcholesterol (HDL-c), particularly the large HDL subfraction [designated HDL-L or HDL-2b (10.5-14.5 nm)]. HDL-2b is generally considered to be associated with less future CVD risk (52,53) and may reflect increased reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), an antiatherogenic function of HDL (54).…”

“…This report presents results of 3 of these 2 month trials using bars of comparable fiber and nutrient composition. The major goal of the analysis was to test whether bar consumption without other lifestyle modifications could shift metabolic dysregulation in the OW/OB toward a "leaner" profile, and to confirm, and extend to 2 months, results of earlier 2 wk trials in predominantly lean individuals (51). Plasma concentrations of standard clinical metabolic and anthropometric measures, lipid protein subfractions, the adipokine adiponectin (55), and the acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) (56) were quantified at baseline, and after 2 and 8 wk of twice-daily consumption of the nutrient bar.…”

Triglyceride-Based Screening Tests Fail to Recognize Cardiometabolic Disease in African Immigrant and African-American Men

“…It is likely that there is variation in the nutrient intake of Africans and African Americans, and this might also account for some of the differences observed in the glucose and lipid profile, including HDL size. 41 This study had limitations. First, the study design is crosssectional, so cardiometabolic events cannot be predicted with certainty.…”

Evidence-based and heuristic approaches for customization of care in cardiometabolic syndrome after spinal cord injury

“…31,33,37,40 This is of particular relevance to persons with SCI as fiber consumption has been related to levels of the cardioprotective high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. [49][50][51][52] However, highfiber diets (20-30 g/day) may stimulate undesirable changes in bowel function that differ from the non-disabled population, which may render high fiber diets impractical for persons with SCI. 33,53,54 Future studies will need to determine the best ratio and sources for simple and complex carbohydrates that satisfy specific nutrient needs after SCI.…”