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Plant Sterols on Cardiovascular Markers, Microbiota and Sterol Metabolism (Cardiofoodsterol)

Effect of Plant Sterols on Inflammatory, Endothelial Function and Oxidative Stress Markers, Microbiota and Sterol Metabolism in a Cardiovascular Risk Population

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06481020
Enrollment
42
Registered
2024-07-01
Start date
2024-05-21
Completion date
2025-02-28
Last updated
2024-07-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cardiovascular Diseases, Hypercholesterolemia, Overweight and Obesity, Prediabetic State

Keywords

Cholesterol LDL, Plant Sterols, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Microbiota, Sterol Metabolites, Endothelial function, Bioimpedance, Dietary Intake, Physical Activity

Brief summary

Potential cholesterol-lowering effect of a regular intake of a plant sterol (PS)-containing food supplement, in overweight/obese type 1 or 2, normoglycemic/pre-diabetic, with LDL-cholesterol values \> 115 mg/dl and not pharmacologically treated participants treated with the PS-containing food supplement or placebo supplement.

Detailed description

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, with hypercholesterolemia being one of the main risk factors for CVD. The deposition and oxidation of LDL-cholesterol particles triggers a series of molecular events favoring chronic low-grade inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. This situation promotes atherogenesis thus increasing cardiovascular risk. Obesity favors the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators and promotes the recruitment of macrophages to adipose tissue, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, thus increasing the risk of CVD. In addition, obesity has been associated with gut dysbiosis, which in turn is associated with atherosclerosis in some studies. Beneficial effects of PS on LDL-cholesterol and inflammatory, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress markers have been reported by several clinical trials. A meta-analysis suggests a lowering effect of PS on body mass index (BMI) in participants with BMI\>25. Furthermore, the consumption of PS has been beneficially associated in in vitro studies with changes in intestinal microbial profile, sterol metabolism and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production. Therefore, the hypothesis is if the consumption of PS as a food supplementation could reduce cardiovascular risk. The present study aims to evaluate the LDL-cholesterol serum levels after regular intake of a food supplement containing PS (2 g/day) in overweight/obese type 1 or 2 patients, normoglycemic /pre-diabetic and with LDL-cholesterol values \> 115 mg/dl not pharmacologically treated. This is a crossover study with 21 participants (intake of a food supplement containing PS) and 21 participants (intake of excipient-based placebo), with a first intervention period of 8 weeks. After a 6-week washout period, the treatments are switched, with a second intervention period of 8 weeks. In addition, to the LDL-cholesterol lowering assessment, other biochemical, hematological, inflammatory, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress parameters are assessed in serum samples. Moreover, sterol and metabolite profiling in serum and feces, microbiota modulation, anthropometric measurements and body composition, bioimpedance, dietary intake and physical activity questionnaire are evaluated. All parameters are evaluated at the beginning (weeks 0 and 14) and at the end of each intervention period (weeks 8 and 22).

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlant sterols 2g/day

PS-containing dietary supplement Sachet containing a powdered microencapsulated free plant sterols (2 g ingredient/day) during 8 weeks

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo

Sachet containing the powdered excipients of the dietary supplement during 8 weeks

Sponsors

Hospital Universitario La Fe
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Bologna
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Valencia
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* BMI: 27-29.9 or 30-39.9 * Plasmatic glucose: \< 100mg/dl or 100-125mg/dl * Glycosylated hemoglobin: \< 5.7 or 5.7-6.4 * LDL cholesterol \> 115mg/dL * Serum levels of biochemical and hematological parameters and fat-soluble vitamins within reference ranges.

Exclusion criteria

* Subjects on cholesterol-lowering pharmacological treatment * Smokers * Alcohol consumption above 30 g/day * Pregnant or lactating women * Any infection, serious illness or co-morbidity that may affect the bioavailability of PS (e.g., malabsorption, celiac disease, allergies or food intolerances) * Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract * Antibiotic, hormonal or anabolic treatment * Participants consuming foods enriched with PS or food supplements that contain PS * Participants who follow specialist weight loss diets, vegans or vegetarians

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Changes in plasmatic LDL-c0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksLDL-c, calculated by the Friedewald's formula, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Changes in plasmatic HDL-c0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksHDL-c, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic non-HDL cholesterol0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksNon-HDL cholesterol, calculated by subtracting HDL-c from total cholesterol, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic triglycerides0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksTriglycerides, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic Apo A0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksApo A, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic Apo B0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksApo B, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention
Changes in plasmatic fibrinogen0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksFibrinogen, assessed by Clauss coagulometric method, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)0, 8, 14 and 22 weekshs CRP, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic glucose0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksGlucose, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic insulin0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksInsulin, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention
Changes in plasmatic Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksHOMA-IR, calculated by mathematical formula from the fasting insulin and fasting glucose levels, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum levels of the sterols and metabolites profile0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksProfile sterols and metabolites, assessed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector (GC-FID), with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in feces levels of the sterols and metabolites profile0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksProfile sterols and metabolites, assessed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector (GC-FID), with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum interleukin 10 (IL-10)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksIL-10, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum interleukin 12p70 (IL-12p70)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksIL-12p70, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum interleukin 1β (IL-1β)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksIL-1β, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum interleukin 6 (IL-6)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksIL-6, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum interleukin 8 (IL-8)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksIL-8, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksTNFα, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic total cholesterol0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksTotal cholesterol, assessed by enzymatic-colorimetric methods, with repeated measures (at the beginning and at the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum E-Selectin0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksE- Selectin, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum endothelin (ET-1)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksET-1, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention
Changes in serum plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksPAI-1, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic LDL-cholesterol oxidation0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksLDL-cholesterol oxidation, assessed by enzyme kits, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic 8-isoprostane0, 8, 14 and 22 weeks8-isoprostane, assessed by enzyme kits, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic malondialdehyde (MDA)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksMDA, assessed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS (UPLC-MS), with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention
Changes in reduced glutathiones (GSH)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksGSH, assessed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS (UPLC-MS), with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in oxidized glutathione (GSSG)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksGSSG, assessed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS (UPLC-MS), with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in the composition of microbiota in feces0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksComposition of microbiota, assessed by genetic sequencing and subsequent biostatistical analysis, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in feces of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksSCFAs, assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detector (HPCL-UV), with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in plasmatic levels of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksCOPs, assessed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in body weight (WT)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksWT, assessed by standard balance scale, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in body height (HT)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksHT, assessed by tape measure, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in body circumferences0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksCircumferences, assessed by tape measure, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksBIA, assessed by bio-impedance meter, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Assessment of dietary intake0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksFood frequency survey Questionnaire (FFQ) is used, consisting in 136 questions divided into the different food groups (dairy products; eggs, meat and fish; vegetables; fruit; pulses and cereals; oils and fats; bakery and confectionery; miscellaneous; drinks) indicating the average frequency of consumption during the past year, which can be scored as never or almost never, per month (1-3), per week (1, 2-4,5-6), per day (1, 2-3, 4-6, 6+), with repeated of questionnaire (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Evaluation of the physical activity to measure quality of life0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksInternational physical activity questionnaire-short form (IPAC-SF) is used, consisting in 7 questions. Intensity, frequency and duration of the exercise are evaluated through metabolic equivalent of task (METs). This allows to differentiate 3 levels of physical activity: Low: Not enough activity to achieve the next level Moderate: 3 or more days of vigorous physical activity for at least 20 minutes per day, 5 or more days of moderate physical activity and/or walking at least 30 minutes per day, or 5 or more days of any combination of walking, moderate or vigorous physical activity achieving at least a total of 600 METs. High: Vigorous physical activity at least 3 days per week achieving a total of a least 1500 METs, or 7 days of any combination of walking, with moderate and/or vigorous physical activity, achieving a total of a least 3000 METs. With repeated of questionnaire (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Evaluation of the Mediterranean diet adherence to measure quality of life0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksMediterranean diet adherence screener (MEDAS) is used, consisting in 14 questions (each one 0 or 1 point, final score between 0 and 14). Results are ranged between 0-7 points (low adherence), 7-10 (moderate adherence), and 10-14 (high adherence) With repeated of questionnaire (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)
Changes in serum vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)0, 8, 14 and 22 weeksVCAM-1, assessed by immunochemical techniques, with repeated measures (at the beginning and the end of each period the intervention)

Countries

Spain

Contacts

Primary ContactGuadalupe Garcia Llatas, Professor
guadalupe.garcia@uv.es+34 963543766

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026