Plasma lipid and lipoprotein response of humans to beef fat, coconut oil and safflower oil

Abstract

This study's purpose was to evaluate the fasting human plasma lipid and lipoprotein responses to dietary beef fat (BF) by comparison with coconut oil (CO) and safflower oil (SO), fats customarily classified as saturated and polyunsaturated. Nineteen free-living normolipidemic men aged 25.6 +/- 3.5 yr consumed centrally-prepared lunches and dinners of common foods having 35% fat calories, 60% of which was the test fat. The test fats were isocalorically substituted, and each fed for five weeks in random sequences with intervening five weeks of habitual diets. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations among individuals follows the same relative rank regardless of diet. Triglycerides (TG) concentrations among individuals also maintain their relative rank regardless of diet but in a different order from that of the cholesterols. Plasma TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C responses to BF were significantly lower and TG higher than to CO. As compared to SO, BF produced equivalent levels of TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C and marginally higher TC. Thus, the customary consideration of BF as "saturated" and grouping it with CO appears unwarranted.

Heterogeneity of cholesterol homeostasis in man. Response to changes in dietary fat quality and cholesterol quantity.

“…The modest changes tested here resulted in smaller effects: shifting from a dietary fat P/S of 0.3 to 1.8 resulted in a 5.5% mean reduction in total plasma cholesterol levels; a significant reduction in plasma cholesterol levels occurred in 7 of the 25 patients studied. Similar variability in plasma cholesterol responses to modest shifts in fat quality have been reported (39,67,(75)(76)(77)(78)(79). A recent report indicated that dietary beef fat (P/S 0.05) did not elevate plasma cholesterol levels as much as coconut oil (P/S 0.05), and was comparable with plasma levels on safflower oil (P/S 10.2) (79).…”

Effects of γ-Irradiated Fats on Plasma Lipid Concentrations and Hepatic Cholesterol Metabolism in Rats

“…The atherogenic index, the risk index for atherosclerosis, of the BT group tended to be higher than that of the CO or the PO group. Although unsaturated fatty acids, in general, have been reported to have a hypocholesterolemic effect [30][31][32], in this study, there was no difference in the plasma cholesterol concentrations between the saturated fat and the unsaturated fat fed groups. There were no significant differences in the hepatic TG levels between the Á-irradiated fat groups and each control group.…”

Cholesterol-lowering properties of plant sterols esterified with beef tallow fatty acids in hamsters

“…Studies examining plasma LDL cholesterol concentration have demonstrated cholesterol-lowering properties of dietary beef tallow compared to soybean oil [15], coconut oil [16], butter fat [17], and palm and palm kernel oil [18]. Studies have also shown beef tallow to elicit equivalent or "neutral" effects on LDL cholesterol levels compared to safflower oil [16], high-oleic sunflower oil [19], and chicken fat [20]. Newbold [21] reported that hypercholesterolemic patients who consumed diets in which most of the calories came from beef fat (and no sucrose, milk, or grains) had significant reductions in serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (35% and 28% decrease, respectively).…”