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Objective: Estrogen therapy is, to date, the most effective treatment of menopausal syndrome and also has a favorable effect on lipid profiles. Because of its potential adverse effects, however, a more acceptable alternative therapy needs to be identified. This study examines the effect of soy germ isoflavones on menopausal symptoms and serum lipids., Methods: Ninety early postmenopausal Chinese women, aged 45 to 60 years, were randomly assigned to three treatment groups (30 each) receiving daily doses of 0 (placebo), 84, and 126 mg of soy germ isoflavones. Hot flush frequency, Kupperman scores, serum 17β-estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and serum lipids, including triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B100, were assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 weeks after treatment., Results: Both the frequency of hot flushes and the Kupperman index score decreased in all three treatment groups during the intervention period, but the percentage decreases in both were significantly greater in the two isoflavone groups (44.3 ± 19.1 and 57.8 ± 37.4 [84 mg isoflavones]; 48.5 ± 27.2 and 56.7 ± 26.7 [126 mg isoflavones]) than in the placebo group (27.8 ± 15.5 and 34.6 ± 46.2; p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the changes in estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone among the three treatment groups during the study, and no significant differences were observed in the lipid components., Conclusions: A daily supplement of 84 or 126 mg soy germ isoflavones may improve menopausal symptoms, although neither dose was found to affect lipid profiles in early postmenopausal Chinese women after 24 weeks of treatment. The favorable effects are unlikely to be associated with female hormones.

Background: Many studies showed a moderate cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols (PS), but increased circulating PS might be atherogenic. We evaluated the associations between natural dietary intake of PS and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and serum lipids., Methodology/principal Findings: This community-based cross-sectional study included 1160 men and 2780 women aged 31-75 years. Dietary intakes were assessed using a food-frequency questionnaire. The IMTs at the common, bifurcation and internal carotid artery segments, and fasting serum total (TC), LDL (LDLc) and HDL (HDLc) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) were determined. After adjusting for potential covariates, multivariate analysis showed a dose-dependent inverse association of total PS intake with serum TC, LDLc, non-HDLc in women (P<0.001) and in men (P<0.05). As compared to the lowest quartile of PS intake (<206 mg/d), the multivariate-adjusted means of TC, LDLc and non-HDLc in the highest quartile of PS intake (447 mg/d) decreased by 5.0%, 6.2% and 6.5% in women (P<0.005), and by 6.4%, 7.1% and 6.7% (P>0.05) in men. Although the IMTs tended to be lower with greater intake of dietary PS, only small differences in the left internal IMT between the highest and lowest groups were observed among men (-7.6%) and women (-5.1%) (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis showed no significant mean differences among the PS groups in HDLc, TG and IMTs at other studied sites among men and women (all P>0.05)., Conclusions: Greater PS consumption from natural diets is associated with lower serum total, LDL, non-HDL cholesterol and with thinner left internal IMT in women and men.

Objective: To study the effects of dietary fatty acids on the serum lipids in hypercholesterolemic subjects., Methods: All 297 residents with hypercholesterolemia were enrolled in Guangzhou. The dietary composition and the changes in serum lipid levels during the 6-month follow-up were analyzed., Results: (1) 297 subjects were enrolled and 281 subjects (88 male, 193 female) completed the 6-month follow-up. The serum TC concentration of the subjects was (6.09+/-0.68) mmol/L at baseline. (2) According to the percentage of energy from total fat, all of the subjects were divided into three groups, including total fat % en<25% (group I, 90 subjects), 25%-30% (group II, 97 subjects), >30% (group III, 94 subjects). The reduction of TC and LDL-C in group I and group II was greater than that in group III. (3) According to the percentage of energy from SFA, all of the subjects were divided into three groups, including SFA % en<7% (group I, 81 subjects), 7%-10% (group II, 129 subjects), >10% (group III, 71 subjects). The reduction of TC and LDL-C in group I and group II was greater than that in group III. (4) All of the subjects were divided into three groups, according to the percentage of energy from MUFA, including MUFA % en<10% (group I, 93 subjects), 10%-13% (group II, 106 subjects), >13% (group III, 82 subjects). The reduction of TC and LDL-C in group II was greater than that in group I and group III. (5) All of the subjects were divided into three groups according to the percentage of energy from PUFA, including PUFA % en<7% (88 subjects), 7%-9% (94 subjects), >9% (99 subjects). No significant difference was found among the reduction of serum lipids in the three groups., Conclusion: Dietary total fat % en

Many clinical studies have shown high-dose supplemental soy protein has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors. We examined the association between habitual soyfood intake and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plasma lipids in a cross-sectional study including 406 (M 134, F 272) middle-aged Chinese adults (40-65 years) without confirmed relevant diseases. We found significantly dose-respondent decreases in bifurcation IMT, total and LDL cholesterol associated with increased usual soyfood intake after adjusting for potential confounders (p for trend, all p<0.05). Covariate-adjusted mean bifurcation IMT, total and LDL cholesterol decreased by 9.4%, 6.2% and 10.4% in women (p=0.020, 0.035, 0.110), 16.0%, 12.3% and 19.6% in men (p=0.036, 0.005, 0.002), and 9.9%, 9.3% and 15.4% in total men and women combined (p=0.010, <0.001, <0.001) when the mean intake of soy protein increased from 0.87 (F) or 0.64 (M) g/day (1st tertile) to 8.35 (F) or 7.48 (M) g/day (3rd tertile), respectively. Significant interaction between sex and soy consumption on bifurcation IMT was observed (p=0.008). In conclusion, higher habitual soyfood consumption is associated with decreased bifurcation IMT, plasma TC and LDL-c in middle-aged Chinese adults. The association is more apparent in men than in women.

Background: Although many adiposity indices may be used to predict obesity-related health risks, uncertainty remains over which of them performs best. Objective: This study compared the predictive capability of direct and indirect adiposity measures in identifying people at higher risk of metabolic abnormalities. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study recruited 2780 women and 1160 men. Body weight and height, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) were measured and body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. Body fat (and percentage of fat) over the whole body and the trunk were determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Blood pressure, fasting lipid profiles, and glucose and urine acid levels were assessed. Results: In women, the ROC and the multivariate logistic regression analyses both showed that WHtR consistently had the best performance in identifying hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, diabetes/IFG, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). In men, the ROC analysis showed that WHtR was the best predictor of hypertension, WHtR and WC were equally good predictors of dyslipidemia and MetS, and WHtR was the second-best predictor of hyperuricemia and diabetes/IFG. The multivariate logistic regression also found WHtR to be superior in discriminating between MetS, diabetes/IFG, and dyslipidemia while BMI performed better in predicting hypertension and hyperuricemia in men. The BIA-derived indices were the second-worst predictors for all of the endpoints, and HC was the worst. Conclusion: WHtR was the best predictor of various metabolic abnormalities. BMI may be used as an alternative measure of obesity for identifying hypertension in both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Elevated levels of postprandial triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins (ppTRLs) are atherogenic. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have exaggerated postprandial lipemia associated with elevation or prolonged residence of ppTRL remnants. We examined whether dietary fatty acid compositions (DFACs) decrease atherogenic lipid profiles in ppTRL subfractions in T2DM Chinese patients. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted among 28 T2DM patients. Patients consumed 1 of 3 standardized DFAC-specific fat meals: equidominant (1:1:1), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)–dominant (PUFA-D, 1:1.7:2.3), or monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)–dominant (MUFA-D, 1:1.7:1.2) meals. Numbers in parenthesis, respectively, represent the ratio of saturated fatty acids, MUFA, and PUFA to saturated fatty acids. The MUFA-D meal was the control. Triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels were measured in Svedberg flotation rate (S f) greater than 400, S f 60 to 400, S f 20 to 60, and S f 12 to 20 ppTRL subfractions at fasting (0 hour) and 2, 4, and 6 hours after the consumption of the fat meals. Effects of DFACs on mean concentrations of triacylglycerols and cholesterol averaged over 0, 2, 4, and 6 hours in ppTRL subfractions were assessed using linear mixed models. Stability and robustness were validated with 1000 bootstrap replicates. Contrasted to the control, equidominant meal reduced 6-hour average triacylglycerol levels in S f greater than 400 (P = .002, bootstrap P < .05) and S f 20 to 60 (P = .02, bootstrap P < .05) subfractions, and decreased average S f 20 to 60 cholesterol (P = .04, bootstrap P < .05); PUFA-D decreased S f greater than 400 average triacylglycerol levels (P = .09, bootstrap P < .05). Bootstrap samples suggested that PUFA-D decreased average S f 20 to 60 cholesterol levels (bootstrap P < .05). Therefore, modifying DFACs attenuates the atherogenic lipid profile of ppTRLs in T2DM patients; but increasing PUFA ratio may be more feasible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]