Low-fat nondairy minidrink containing plant stanol ester effectively reduces LDL cholesterol in subjects with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia as part of a Western diet

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Short-term LDL cholesterol-lowering efficacy of plant stanol esters

BACKGROUND: The short-term cholesterol-lowering efficacy of plant stanol esters has been open to debate, and the data from different clinical studies with hypercholesterolemic subjects are variable, partly due to lack of systematic studies. Therefore, we investigated the time in days needed to obtain the full cholesterol-lowering effect of stanol esters in hypercholesterolemic subjects. METHODS: Eleven mildly to moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects consumed stanol ester margarine (2.0 g/day of stanols) as a part of their habitual diet for 14 days and the changes in serum lipid values were measured three times at 4, 8 and 15 days after the initiation of test margarine consumption (0 day). The returning of serum lipid concentrations to baseline was measured two times after 2 or 3 days and after 7 days of the end of the test margarine consumption. RESULTS: Serum LDL cholesterol concentrations were reduced from 0 day (4.51 ± 0.66 mmol/l) by 3.5% (P = ns), 9.9% (p < 0.05) and 10.2% (P < 0.05) at 4, 8 and 15 days, respectively. Serum campesterol/total cholesterol ratio, an indirect marker of intestinal cholesterol absorption, was significantly reduced on day 4 already. After ending the stanol ester use serum cholesterol concentrations began to return rapidly and after 7 days serum LDL cholesterol was 5.3% less than the initial value (P = ns). CONCLUSION: The specific effect of plant stanol esters on serum LDL cholesterol can fully be obtained within 1–2 weeks of the use of plant stanol ester-enriched margarine

Cholesterol metabolism and serum non-cholesterol sterols : summary of 13 plant stanol ester interventions

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Cholesterol metabolism and weight reduction in subjects with mild obstructive sleep apnoea: a randomised, controlled study

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Diet and cardiovascular health in asymptomatic normo- and mildly-to-moderately hypercholesterolemic participants - baseline data from the BLOOD FLOW intervention study

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The effects of plant stanol ester consumption on arterial stiffness and endothelial function in adults: a randomised controlled clinical trial

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The effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on eating behavior and diet delivered through face-to-face contact and a mobile app : A randomized controlled trial

Background: Internal motivation and good psychological capabilities are important factors in successful eating-related behavior change. Thus, we investigated whether general acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) affects reported eating behavior and diet quality and whether baseline perceived stress moderates the intervention effects. Methods: Secondary analysis of unblinded randomized controlled trial in three Finnish cities. Working-aged adults with psychological distress and overweight or obesity in three parallel groups: (1) ACT-based Face-to-face (n = 70; six group sessions led by a psychologist), (2) ACT-based Mobile (n = 78; one group session and mobile app), and (3) Control (n = 71; only the measurements). At baseline, the participants' (n = 219, 85% females) mean body mass index was 31.3 kg/m2 (SD = 2.9), and mean age was 49.5 years (SD = 7.4). The measurements conducted before the 8-week intervention period (baseline), 10 weeks after the baseline (post-intervention), and 36 weeks after the baseline (follow-up) included clinical measurements, questionnaires of eating behavior (IES-1, TFEQ-R18, HTAS, ecSI 2.0, REBS), diet quality (IDQ), alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), perceived stress (PSS), and 48-h dietary recall. Hierarchical linear modeling (Wald test) was used to analyze the differences in changes between groups. Results: Group x time interactions showed that the subcomponent of intuitive eating (IES-1), i.e., Eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, increased in both ACT-based groups (p = .019); the subcomponent of TFEQ-R18, i.e., Uncontrolled eating, decreased in the Face-to-face group (p = .020); the subcomponent of health and taste attitudes (HTAS), i.e., Using food as a reward, decreased in the Mobile group (p = .048); and both subcomponent of eating competence (ecSI 2.0), i.e., Food acceptance (p = .048), and two subcomponents of regulation of eating behavior (REBS), i.e., Integrated and Identified regulation (p = .003, p = .023, respectively), increased in the Face-to-face group. Baseline perceived stress did not moderate effects on these particular features of eating behavior from baseline to follow-up. No statistically significant effects were found for dietary measures. Conclusions: ACT-based interventions, delivered in group sessions or by mobile app, showed beneficial effects on reported eating behavior. Beneficial effects on eating behavior were, however, not accompanied by parallel changes in diet, which suggests that ACT-based interventions should include nutritional counseling if changes in diet are targeted.Peer reviewe

Functional COMT Val158Met Polymorphism, Risk of Acute Coronary Events and Serum Homocysteine: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55410/1/Voutilainen S, Functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism, 2007.pd

Pitkäaikaissairaan lapsen perheen kokemuksia vertaistuesta: Kirjallisuuskatsaus

Opinnäytetyöni tarkoitus oli kuvailla pitkäaikaissairaiden lasten perheiden kokemuksia vertaistuesta. Opinnäytetyölläni halusin saada perheiden kokemuksista lisää tietoa, jotta niitä voitaisiin hyödyntää Munuais- ja Maksaliiton vertaistukitoiminnassa. Opinnäytetyön menetelmä oli kuvaileva kirjallisuuskatsaus. Tulosten mukaan vertaistuki ja vertaistoiminta koettiin tärkeän osana perheiden selviytymistä. Vertaiset koettiin tukijoina toisenlaisiksi kuin perheen läheiset, koska vertaiset ovat kokeneet saman ja he ymmärtävät tilannetta paremmin. Sopeutumisvalmennus-kurssit koetiin hyödyllisiksi, vaikka kynnys osallistumiseen oli korkea. Kursseilla tutustuttiin vertaisperheisiin, koettiin voimaantumista ja saatiin positiivisia tuntemuksia. Vertaistuen ja vertaistoiminnan toivottiin olevan helposti saatavilla ja koska varsinkin haja-asutusalueilla saatavuus on hankalaa, siksi verkossa tapahtuvan tuen ja toiminnan kysyntä on haja-asutusaluilla suurempaa. Tuloksista voidaan päätellä, että vertaistuen eri muodot ovat kaikki yhtä merkittäviä pitkäaikaissairaiden lasten perheille. Terveydenhuollossa vertaistuki tulisi huomioida yhtenä tarpeellisen tiedon lähteistä. Vertaistuki on tärkeä etenkin kokemuksellisen tiedon lähde. The purpose of this thesis was to describe the experiences of the peer support the families of children with long-term illnesses receive. The aim was to map out and describe information and results gained from families’ experiences. Furthermore, to utilize them later in the peer to peer support activities of the Kidney and Liver Association. The method of the thesis was a descriptive literature review. According to the results, peer support and peer-to-peer activities are seen as an important part of family coping and resilience. The peers are regarded to be supportive in a different way from the family's relatives because they (the peers) have similar experiences, and they understand the situation better. Adaptation courses are considered useful even though at the beginning, families found it hard to participate. The peer families who get familiar with these courses, experience empowerment and get positive feelings. It is hoped that peer support and peer-to-peer activities are easily available. Especially, in sparsely populated areas their access is perceived to be difficult. Therefore, the demand for online support and activities is higher in such areas. Results indicate, different forms of peer-support are all as significant to families of children with long-term illnesses. Peer-support should be considered in healthcare as a one source of necessary information. Peer-support is especially important source of experiential knowledge