Fish, Milk Fatty Acids Positively Impact LDL

BOSTON--Consumers looking to benefit their cholesterol levels found positive news in two studies released this week in the Journal of Nutrition (www.nutrition.org). In the first, researchers from Tufts University in Boston examined the effect of a low-fish or high-fish diet on cholesterol levels in 22 men and women (134:1724-8, 2004). Consumption of a high-fish diet was associated with a significant reduction in medium and small very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), while both fish diets lowered total, LDL and HDL cholesterol concentrations. The low-fish diet also negatively impacted HDL particle size. The study concluded higher fish intake in the context of a diet low in fat and cholesterol could favorably impact VLDL and HDL.

Cholesterol was also the focus of a study out of Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden (134:1729-35, 2004). The researchers investigated the relationship between LDL profile and dietary fatty acid intake in 291 healthy men, who were divided into groups based on percentage of small dense LDL (sdLDL), a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Men with a higher intake of individual fatty acids typically found in milk products showed lower levels of sdLDL, which may benefit cardiovascular health.

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