BAKERY PRODUCTS LOWER SERUM-CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS IN HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC MEN

Several foods rich in water-soluble fiber have documented hypocholesterolemic effects. To determine the cholesterol-lowering effects of high-soluble-fiber intake from refined, wheat-based bakery products, 10 hypercholesterolemic subjects ate a high-carbohydrate, high-fiber control diet in a metabolic ward for 7 d, followed by a diet rich in soluble fiber from bakery products for 21 d. Both control and bakery diets provided 25 g total dietary fiber/d; however, the bakery diet provided 6 g soluble fiber/d more than the control diet. Average serum total cholesterol concentrations stabilized during the control diet and then decreased 6.4% during the bakery diet. Serum low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol decreased 8.5% (P < 0.05), apolipoprotein B-100 decreased 8.7% (P < 0.05), and the ratio of apolipoprotein B-100 to apolipoprotein A-I decreased 9.5% (P < 0.05) during the bakery diet. Results confirm previous reports that a small increase in soluble-fiber intake of approximately 6 g/d modestly decreases atherogenic serum cholesterol concentrations, regardless of fiber source.