Intake of partially defatted Brazil nut flour reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients- a randomized controlled trial

摘要

Objective Thyroid hormones can lower levels of atherogenic lipoproteins, and selenium is important in thyroid hormone homeostasis. We aimed to investigate the effects of a healthy diet associated with the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) in dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients. Methods This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Seventy-seven dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients already receiving lipid-lowering drugs received either a dietary treatment associated with partially defatted Brazil nut flour (13 g/day providing 227,5 μg of selenium/day),or with dyed cassava flour as a placebo. All patients received a personalized dietary guideline with nutritional recommendations for dyslipidemia and hypertension and were followed for 90 days. Results The Brazil nut group showed reductions in total cholesterol (?20.5?±?61.2 mg/dL, P?=?0.02), non HDL-cholesterol (?19.5?±?61.2 mg/dL, P?=?0.02) and Apo A-1 (?10.2?±?26.7 mg/dL, P?=?0.03) without significant alterations in the Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio. The placebo group showed a reduction in FT 3 levels (?0.1?±?0.4, P?=?0.03) and increased Lp(a) levels (5.9?±?18.0 mg/dL, P?=?0.02). There were no statistical differences in blood pressure and serum lipids between Brazil nut and placebo group. Conclusions Supplementation with Brazil nuts seems to favor the maintenance of FT 3 levels and contributes to lipemia reduction in hypercholesterolemic and euthyroid patients. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01990391