Journal Article

Pleiotropic Benefit of Monomeric and Oligomeric Flavanols on Vascular Health - A Randomized Controlled Clinical Pilot Study

Bast, Aalt, Haenen, Guido R. M. M., Weseler, Antje R., Ruijters, Erik J. B., Reesink, Koen D., Drittij-Reijnders, Marie-José

2011

Overview

Cardiovascular diseases are expanding to a major social-economic burden in the Western World and undermine man's deep desire for healthy ageing. Epidemiological studies suggest that flavanol-rich foods (e.g. grapes, wine, chocolate) sustain cardiovascular health. For an evidenced-based application, however, sound clinical data on their efficacy are strongly demanded. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention study we supplemented 28 male smokers with 200 mg per day of monomeric and oligomeric flavanols (MOF) from grape seeds. At baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks we measured macro- and microvascular function and a cluster of systemic biomarkers for major pathological processes occurring in the vasculature: disturbances in lipid metabolism and cellular redox balance, and activation of inflammatory cells and platelets. In the MOF group serum total cholesterol and LDL decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by 5% (n = 11) and 7% (n = 9), respectively in volunteers with elevated baseline levels. Additionally, after 8 weeks the ratio of glutathione to glutathione disulphide in erythrocytes rose from baseline by 22% (n = 15, P<0.05) in MOF supplemented subjects. We also observed that MOF supplementation exerts anti-inflammatory effects in blood towards ex vivo added bacterial endotoxin and significantly reduces expression of inflammatory genes in leukocytes. Conversely, alterations in macro- and microvascular function, platelet aggregation, plasma levels of nitric oxide surrogates, endothelin-1, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, prostaglandin F2alpha, plasma antioxidant capacity and gene expression levels of antioxidant defense enzymes did not reach statistical significance after 8 weeks MOF supplementation. However, integrating all measured effects into a global, so-called vascular health index revealed a significant improvement of overall vascular health by MOF compared to placebo (P ≤ 0.05). Our integrative multi-biomarker approach unveiled the pleiotropic vascular health benefit of an 8 weeks supplementation with 200 mg/d MOF in humans. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00742287.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adult / Antioxidants / Antioxidants (Nutrients) / Antioxidants - metabolism / Bacteria / Biomarkers / Blood Vessels - drug effects / Blood Vessels - physiology / C-reactive protein / Cardiovascular diseases / Cardiovascular health / Chemistry / Chocolate / Cholesterol / Cigarettes / Clinical trials / Data processing / Diet / Dietary Supplements / Disease / Endothelin 1 / Endothelins / Endotoxins / Enzymes / Epidemiology / Erythrocytes / Fibrin / Fibrinogen / Fibrinogen - metabolism / Flavanols / Flavonols - pharmacology / Food / Free radicals / Gene expression / Glutathione / Grapes / Health / Heart diseases / Humans / Inflammation / Inflammation - blood / Inflammation - pathology / Leukocytes / Lipid metabolism / Lipids - blood / Low density lipoprotein / Low density lipoproteins / Male / Medicine / Metabolism / Microvasculature / Middle Aged / Nitric oxide / Nutrition research / Oxidation-Reduction - drug effects / Oxidative stress / Oxidative Stress - drug effects / Physiological aspects / Pilot Projects / Plasma levels / Platelet aggregation / Platelet Aggregation - drug effects / Platelets / Polyphenols / Randomization / Rodents / Seeds / Smokers / Smoking / Stress response / Studies / Toxicology / Vegetarianism / Vitis - chemistry / Vitis vinifera / Wine / Wines