Effects of sea buckthorn and bilberry on serum metabolites differ according to baseline metabolic profiles in overweight women: a randomized crossover trial

Abstract

Background: Berries are associated with health benefits. Little is known about the effect of baseline metabolome on the overall metabolic responses to berry intake.Objective: We studied the effects of berries on serum metabolome.Design: Eighty overweight women completed this randomized crossover study. During the interventions of 30 d, subjects consumed dried sea buckthorn berries (SBs), sea buckthorn oil (SBo), sea buckthorn phenolics ethanol extract mixed with maltodextrin (SBe+MD) (1:1), or frozen bilberries. Metabolic profiles were quantified from serum samples by using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Results: All interventions induced a significant (P < 0.001–0.003) effect on the overall metabolic profiles. The effect was observed both in participants who had a metabolic profile that reflected higher cardiometabolic risk at baseline (group B: P = 0.001–0.008) and in participants who had a lower-risk profile (group A: P < 0.001–0.009). Although most of the changes in individual metabolites were not statistically significant after correction for multiplicity, clear trends were observed. SB-induced effects were mainly on serum triglycerides and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and its subclasses, which decreased in metabolic group B. SBo induced a decreasing trend in serum total, intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and subfractions of IDL and LDL in group B. During the SBe+MD treatment, VLDL fractions and serum triglycerides increased. Bilberries caused beneficial changes in serum lipids and lipoproteins in group B, whereas the opposite was true in group A.Conclusion: Berry intake has overall metabolic effects, which depend on the cardiometabolic risk profile at baseline. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01860547.

Effects of sea buckthorn oil intake on vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

“…SB oil did not affect the circulating triacylglycerols or cholesterol. In our earlier study, SB oil lowered serum total, IDL, and LDL cholesterol and subfractions of IDL and LDL among women with a metabolic profile with a higher cardio-metabolic risk, whereas the effects among women with a lower risk profile at baseline were modest [7]. This study has limitations.…”

“…Sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides) oil has in the Central Asia traditionally been used for the treatment of inflammations in the genital organs and uterus [6]. Intake of sea buckthorn (SB) oil produced with a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction process has in clinical studies shown beneficial effects on serum lipids and lipoproteins [7], dry eye [8], markers of endothelial inflammation [9], and platelet aggregation [10]. In a double-blind, randomized, cross-over study in women suffering from Sjögren's syndrome, SB oil relieved the dryness-associated symptoms of genital mucous membranes [11].…”

Potential cardiovascular implications of Sea Buckthorn berry consumption in humans

“…Different forms of SBs can contain different amount of vitamins, minerals as well as steroids, terpenoids, phenolics, fatty acids and other compounds making the comparison between these studies more difficult. Similarly, the exposure time varied from 30 days (Larmo et al, 2013) to 90 days (Larmo et al, 2009), which was the longest studied period. The control products used were also different in each of these studies.…”

“…The participants of these studies were all healthy, normolipidemic men and/or women. In two studies, subjects were overweight or obese (Larmo et al, 2013;Lehtonen et al, 2011) and in only one study (Larmo et al, 2013), the subjects were separated into two groups based on their high or low risk for CVD.…”

Hippophae rhamnoides L. 沙棘 (Shaji, Common Sea-buckthorn)

“…Sea buckthorn oil induced a decreasing trend in the serum total cholesterol, intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) [46].…”