Cowpea protein reduces LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B concentrations, but does not improve biomarkers of inflammation or endothelial dysfunction in adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia

卷:31

Goncalves Frota, Karoline de Macedo ; dos Santos, Raul Dias ; Ribeiro, Valdenir Queiroz ; Gomes Areas, Jose Alfredo

关键词: Cowpea;    Plant proteins;    Cholesterol;    Apolipoproteins;    Inflammation;   

DOI  :  10.3305/nh.2015.31.4.8457

学科分类：食品科学和技术

【 摘 要 】

Introduction: The risks of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the world, can be reduced by diet. Cowpea protein has been shown to significantly reduce total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and liver steatosis in hamsters. Objective: The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to verify whether the consumption of cowpea protein improves lipid profile and biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, crossover design, 38 hypercholesterolemic subjects (LDL-cholesterol = 182.5 +/- 2.7 mg/dL) consumed 25 g/day of cowpea protein isolate or 25 g/day of casein (control group) for 6 weeks each, separated by a 4-week washout interval. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and at the end of each diet period. Lipids (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol) were determined by enzymatic methods, apolipoproteins (apoA-I and apoB) by standardized immunoassays, inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein) by turbidimetry, and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results and discussion: Consumption of cowpea protein significantly reduced total cholesterol (12 %), LDL-cholesterol (18.9 %), nonHDL-cholesterol (16 %) and apoB (14 %), and increased HDL-cholesterol (+2.7 %). No significant differences between treatment groups were observed for any of the serum inflammatory or endothelial dysfunction biomarkers. Conclusion: The present findings demonstrated the favorable effect of cowpea protein consumption on proatherogenic serum lipids and apoB in subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia, similar to what was observed in a previous studies on animals.