Effects of Monounsaturated Fatty Acids Versus Complex Carbohydrates on Serum Lipoprotein Subfractions and Apolipoproteins in Healthy Men and Women

Abstract

Recently, we have reported that an olive oil-rich diet and a high-carbohydrate, high-fibre diet lower serum total cholesterol levels to the same extent relative to a Western-type diet, high in total and saturated fat. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol concentrations did not change on the olive oil-rich diet, but decreased on the high-carbohydrate diet (1). It was suggested that in consideration of the supposed antiatherogenic effect of HDL (2,3), reducing total fat intake per se might not be optimal for the prevention of coronary heart disease. However, there are indications that the protective role of HDL is confined to the HDL₂ fraction (4) or that apolipoprotein concentrations are better indicators of the risk for atherosclerosis than the lipid components of lipoproteins (5,6). Here, we report the effects of an olive oil-rich and a high-carbohydrate diet on the distribution of cholesterol over the various lipoproteins and on apolipoproteins A_I and B levels.