Chokeberry Juice Containing Polyphenols Does Not Affect Cholesterol or Blood Pressure but Modifies the Composition of Plasma Phospholipids Fatty Acids in Individuals at Cardiovascular Risk

Abstract

Chokeberry polyphenols have been suggested to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure and thus protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the evidence in humans is limited and inconsistent. This randomized double-blinded three-parallel groups trial investigated the changes in various anthropometric and clinical biomarkers, and in plasma phospholipids fatty acids (PPFA) in volunteers at cardiovascular risk after a four-week intervention with 100 mL/day of (1) chokeberry juice with a high-dose of polyphenols (1177.11 mg gallic acid equivalents, GAE); (2) chokeberry juice with a low-dose of polyphenols (294.28 mg GAE) and; (3) a nutritionally matched polyphenol-free placebo drink. Our results indicate that the intake of chokeberry juice containing either the low or the high dose of polyphenols cannot be linked with a reduction in total- and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)cholesterol or in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure in comparison with the consumption of the placebo drink. However, we found evidence of moderate changes in the PPFA, i.e., increased saturated fatty acids (SFA), mostly palmitic acid, and reduced n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), principally linoleic acid (LA) with the intake of chokeberry against the placebo. These effects may be associated with the polyphenols but we could not differentiate a clear dose-response effect. Further research is still needed to elucidate the contribution of the polyphenolic fraction to the potential cardiovascular effects of the chokeberry and to build up the evidence of its potential benefit via the modulation of PPFA composition.

Is There a Link between Zinc Intake and Status with Plasma Fatty Acid Profile and Desaturase Activities in Dyslipidemic Subjects?

“…Further on, phospholipids were separated from total lipids on silica thin-layer chromatography plate, on a mixture of petroleum ether, diethyl ether, and glacial acetic acid (87:12:1) used as a solvent system. Following the previously described procedure [47] with slight modifications [48] FA methyl-esters were further obtained by direct trans-methylation. Obtained FA methyl-esters were analyzed by gas chromatography on Shimadzu chromatograph GC 2014, Tokyo, Japan equipped with a flame ionization detector and a Rtx 2330 fused silica gel capillary column (60 m × 0.25 mm id × 0.2 µm film thickness) (Restek Co., Bellefonte, PA, USA) according to method by Veselinovic et al [48].…”

Polyphenol-Rich Foods for Human Health and Disease

“…The identification of those individuals that could benefit most from the intake of polyphenols is not a trivial matter. This Special Issue includes two stimulating clinical trials looking at the effects of some of these compounds in two specific human sample subpopulations, i.e., individuals at cardiovascular risk [4] and postmenopausal women [5]. Accumulated evidence of the modulatory effects of polyphenol-containing berries on cardiometabolic health suggests that these compounds may reduce total-cholesterol (T-Chol) and (or) blood pressure (BP) [6].…”

“…Accumulated evidence of the modulatory effects of polyphenol-containing berries on cardiometabolic health suggests that these compounds may reduce total-cholesterol (T-Chol) and (or) blood pressure (BP) [6]. The study by Pokimica et al [4] was elegantly designed to specifically investigate the effects of a chokeberry juice with two (high-and low-) doses of polyphenols (mostly anthocyanins) against a nutritionally matched polyphenol-free placebo in individuals well characterized by having some cardiovascular risk. The results show a lack of effect of the daily intake for several weeks of the chokeberry juice on a range of classic anthropometric and cardiovascular biomarkers such as T-Chol and BP [4].…”

“…The study by Pokimica et al [4] was elegantly designed to specifically investigate the effects of a chokeberry juice with two (high-and low-) doses of polyphenols (mostly anthocyanins) against a nutritionally matched polyphenol-free placebo in individuals well characterized by having some cardiovascular risk. The results show a lack of effect of the daily intake for several weeks of the chokeberry juice on a range of classic anthropometric and cardiovascular biomarkers such as T-Chol and BP [4]. The second trial [5] also indicates the absence of effect on various inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers, including BP, following the consumption for several months of anthocyanins in post-menopausal women.…”

“…Understanding interindividual variability remains essential to fully comprehend the potential benefits of polyphenols against the development of chronic diseases in humans. It should also be noted that the biomolecules truly responding to the intake of these compounds may not have been yet fully identified and that as suggested by Pokimica et al [4], the fatty acid (FA) composition (proportion of saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA)) may be a suitable responsive biomarker, and thus, the metabolism of FA in different tissues in response to polyphenols should be further and more closely investigated.…”