Project Number: 1950-51000-059-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 01, 2006
End Date: Sep 30, 2011

Objective:
LAB:Cardiovascular Nutrition 1) Examine the efficacy of selectively bred and genetically modified vegetable oils and new sources of plant sterols on cardiovascular disease risk factors in middle-aged and older hypercholesterolemic female and male subjects. 2) Determine the effect of soy protein on cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older hypercholesterolemic female and male subjects. 3) Determine the impact of diet and genotype on cholesterol homeostasis and cardiovascular health in the Framingham Offspring Study-Cycle 6. 4) Relate diet-induced changes in plasmalipid and lipoprotein levels to functional changes in gene expression and atherosclerotic lesion formation in Golden-Syrian hamsters.

Approach:
LAB:Cardiovascular Nutrition Diets will be developed that incorporate 20% of energy as the experimental fat (2/3 of the total fat content of the diet), with the balance of the macronutrients consistent with current recommendations to maintain heart health. Human studies will likewise be carried out to assess the effect of foods derived from soybeans, but varying in processing technique on measures of cardiovascular health in middle-aged and older hypercholesterolemic female and male subjects. Diets will be developed that incorporate 10% of energy as soybean derived protein. Using samples previously collected from the Framingham Offspring Study, the cardiovascular nutrition lab will quantify plasma concentrations of indicators of cholesterol homeostasis in study participants diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and/or >50% carotid stenosis and matched control subjects and integrate these data with the pertinent dietary, biochemical, and genetic data available. Subsequent work will characterize the balance of plasma samples to established normal ranges for the indicators of cholesterol homeostasis. Lastly, in order to understand the underlying mechanisms by which diet alters plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, hence heart disease risk, the Golden-Syrian hamster will be used as an animal model to relate diet-induced changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels to functional changes in gene expression and atherosclerotic lesion formation.