Effects of flaxseed consumption on systemic inflammation and serum lipid profile in hemodialysis patients with lipid abnormalities.
Effects of flaxseed consumption on systemic inflammation and serum lipid profile in hemodialysis patients with lipid abnormalities.
Year: 2012
Authors: Khalatbari, S.S. Jamaluddin, R. Tabibi, H. Mohd Yusof, B.N Atabak, S. Loh, S.P. Rahmani, L.
Publication Name: Hemodial Int.
Publication Details: doi: 10.1111/j.1542-4758.2012.00754.x.
Abstract:
Inflammation and lipid abnormalities are two important risk factors for cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of flaxseed consumption on systemic inflammation and serum lipid profile in HD patients with lipid abnormalities. This was an unblinded, randomized clinical trial. Thirty HD patients with dyslipidemia (triglyceride greater than 200 mg/dL and/or high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL C) less than 40 mg/dL) were randomly assigned to either a flaxseed or control group. Patients in the flaxseed group received 40 g/day ground flaxseed for 8 weeks, whereas patients in the control group received their usual diet, without any flaxseed. At baseline and at the end of week 8, 7 mL of blood was collected after a 12 to 14 hour fast and serum concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDLC), HDLC, and C reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Serum concentrations of triglyceride (P less than 0.01), total cholesterol (P less than 0.01), LDL-C (P less than 0.01), and CRP (P less than 0.05) decreased significantly in the flaxseed group at the end of week 8 compared with baseline, whereas serum HDLC showed a significant increase (P less than 0.01). These changes in the flaxseed group were significant in comparison with the control group. The study indicates that flaxseed consumption improves lipid abnormalities and reduces systemic inflammation in HD patients with lipid abnormalities. (Authors abstract)
The most important cause of mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease including dialysis patients is cardiovascular disease (CVD) estimated at 3 to 45 times that observed in the general populations, and approximately 50 percent of deaths in these patients are related to CVD. In hemodialysis (HD) patients, one of the major risk factors for CVD is lipid abnormalities including low serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL C), and high serum triglyceride, very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL C), and intermediate-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (IDL-C). Numerous studies have been performed to find treatment strategies for reducing systemic inflammation in HD patients, but no valid treatment has been established in this field. Considering the scarcity of studies on the effects of flaxseed consumption on serum lipid profile and systemic inflammation markers in HD patients, the present study was designed to investigate whether flaxseed consumption can reduce systemic inflammation and improve lipid
abnormalities in HD patients with high serum triglyceride and/or low HDL C. Here, 83 percent of all the patients in both groups had serum triglyceride concentration higher than 200 mg/dL. During 8 weeks, mean serum triglyceride decreased significantly by 31 percent in the flaxseed group. Serum concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL C increased significantly in the control group at the end of week 8 compared with baseline, whereas serum HDL-C showed a significant reduction. At baseline, about 70 percent of all the patients in both groups had serum HDL C lower than 40 mg/dL. During 8 weeks, flaxseed consumption increased mean serum HDL C concentration by 16 percent at the end of the study, and this increment was significant in comparison with the control group. Flaxseed consumption significantly decreased mean serum total cholesterol and LDL C by 14.5 percent and 17 percent. Also mean serum CRP, a systemic inflammation marker, reduced significantly by 37 percent at the end of the study, in the flaxseed group. In patients with high serum concentration of systemic inflammatory markers, flaxseed consumption is more likely to reduce systemic inflammatory markers. The anti inflammatory effect of flaxseed consumption appears to be due to its high content of omega 3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid which can reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines such as IL6 that can stimulate the synthesis of CRP. It is unclear whether ALA acid itself exerts these effects or whether they are the result of its conversion to eicosapentaenoic acid. This study indicates that flaxseed consumption improves lipid abnormalities and reduces systemic inflammation in HD patients with lipid abnormalities. (Editors comments)
The most important cause of mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease including dialysis patients is cardiovascular disease (CVD) estimated at 3 to 45 times that observed in the general populations, and approximately 50 percent of deaths in these patients are related to CVD. In hemodialysis (HD) patients, one of the major risk factors for CVD is lipid abnormalities including low serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL C), and high serum triglyceride, very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL C), and intermediate-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (IDL-C). Numerous studies have been performed to find treatment strategies for reducing systemic inflammation in HD patients, but no valid treatment has been established in this field. Considering the scarcity of studies on the effects of flaxseed consumption on serum lipid profile and systemic inflammation markers in HD patients, the present study was designed to investigate whether flaxseed consumption can reduce systemic inflammation and improve lipid
abnormalities in HD patients with high serum triglyceride and/or low HDL C. Here, 83 percent of all the patients in both groups had serum triglyceride concentration higher than 200 mg/dL. During 8 weeks, mean serum triglyceride decreased significantly by 31 percent in the flaxseed group. Serum concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL C increased significantly in the control group at the end of week 8 compared with baseline, whereas serum HDL-C showed a significant reduction. At baseline, about 70 percent of all the patients in both groups had serum HDL C lower than 40 mg/dL. During 8 weeks, flaxseed consumption increased mean serum HDL C concentration by 16 percent at the end of the study, and this increment was significant in comparison with the control group. Flaxseed consumption significantly decreased mean serum total cholesterol and LDL C by 14.5 percent and 17 percent. Also mean serum CRP, a systemic inflammation marker, reduced significantly by 37 percent at the end of the study, in the flaxseed group. In patients with high serum concentration of systemic inflammatory markers, flaxseed consumption is more likely to reduce systemic inflammatory markers. The anti inflammatory effect of flaxseed consumption appears to be due to its high content of omega 3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid which can reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines such as IL6 that can stimulate the synthesis of CRP. It is unclear whether ALA acid itself exerts these effects or whether they are the result of its conversion to eicosapentaenoic acid. This study indicates that flaxseed consumption improves lipid abnormalities and reduces systemic inflammation in HD patients with lipid abnormalities. (Editors comments)
