Divergent changes in serum sterols during a strict uncooked vegan diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

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Br J Nutr 2001 Feb;85(2):137-9

Divergent changes in serum sterols during a strict uncooked vegan

diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Agren JJ, Tvrzicka E, Nenonen MT, Helve T, Hanninen O.

Department of Physiology, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627,

SF-70211 Kuopio, Finland. Jyrki.Agren@...

The effects of a strict uncooked vegan diet on serum lipid and

sterol concentrations were studied in patients with rheumatoid

arthritis. The subjects were randomized into a vegan diet group (n

16), who consumed a vegan diet for 2-3 months, or into a control

group (n 13), who continued their usual omnivorous diets. Serum

total and LDL-cholesterol and -phospholipid concentrations were

significantly decreased by the vegan diet. The levels of serum

cholestanol and lathosterol also decreased, but serum

cholestanol:total cholesterol and lathosterol:total cholesterol did

not change. The effect of a vegan diet on serum plant sterols was

divergent as the concentration of campesterol decreased while that

of sitosterol increased. This effect resulted in a significantly

greater sitosterol:campesterol value in the vegan diet group than in

the control group (1.48 (SD 0.39) v. 0.72 (SD 0.14); P < 0.001). A

higher concentration of campesterol compared with sitosterol is

normal in omnivorous subjects and can be explained by lower

absorption and esterification rates of sitosterol. Our results

suggest that a strict uncooked vegan diet changes the relative

absorption rates of these sterols and/or their biliary clearance.

Publication Types:

* Clinical Trial

* Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 11242480 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]