• To determine the capacity to reduce by 5% the concentrations of plasma LDL-c by treatment with soluble fibre-Plantago ovata husk- added to a low saturated fat diet in patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia. [ Time Frame: 16 weeks ]
  

• To study the combined cholesterol lowering effect of treatment with Plantago ovata husk and statins to achieve the therapeutic objective [ Time Frame: 16 weeks ]
  
• To analyse the effect of Plantago ovata husk fibre on blood pressure [ Time Frame: 16 weeks ]
  
• To evaluate whether the response on plasma lipids is modulated by the polymorphisms of apolipoprotein E, cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP), apolipoprotein A-V and Fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) [ Time Frame: 16 weeks ]
  

It has been demonstrated that high concentrations of cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, high risk cholesterol) are the major risk factors for heart disease, myocardial infarction and angina pectoris.

Moreover, these conditions represent the major cause of death in the Western world.

Of the measures established to reduce blood cholesterol levels, the introduction of consumption of dietary fibre is a novelty. The term dietary fibre defines a variety of substances that are found in plants and are resistant to digestion by human gastrointestinal enzymes. The studies performed up until now to determine the effects of fibre on blood lipids have demonstrated that consumption of soluble fibre can reduce cholesterol.