von Willebrand factor, a possible indicator of endothelial cell damage, decreases during long-term compliance with a lipid-lowering diet.
OBJECTIVE
To test whether serum von Willebrand factor (vWf) would be lower in men with atherosclerosis who had been consuming a lipid-lowering diet for 3 years than in a control group of men with atherosclerosis who had been following their normal diet.


METHODS
A randomized, population-based case-control study.


METHODS
A tertiary health care referral centre at a University Hospital.


METHODS
Men age less than 66 years with angiographically proven coronary atherosclerosis and a cholesterol level > 6 mmol L-1. Sixty started the study and 50 completed it.


METHODS
Subjects were randomized to a lipid-lowering diet or to taking their normal diet for approximately 3 years.


METHODS
The components of the subjects' diets were assessed and blood was obtained for total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and for vWf.


RESULTS
Men on the lipid-lowering diet consumed less total, saturated and monounsaturated fats (all P < 0.001), cholesterol and retinol (both P < 0.002) but increased polyunsaturated fats (P < 0.001), fibre, vitamin E (both P < 0.005) and carbohydrate (P < 0.05). Those on the lipid-lowering diet also had lower serum levels of total and LDL cholesterol (P < 0.002 and P < 0.05, respectively), triglycerides (P < 0.02) and vWf (P < 0.05) than the men on their normal diet. There was no difference in HDL cholesterol. Levels of vWf correlated with both total cholesterol (P < 0.005) and inversely with dietary polyunsaturated fats (P < 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
von Willebrand factor, a possible indicator of endothelial cell damage, decreases during long-term compliance with a lipid-lowering diet.
Blann
A D
AD
Department of Surgery, University Hospital of South Manchester, Didsbury, UK.
Jackson
P
P
Bath
P M
PM
Watts
G F
GF
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D013997:Time Factors; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism*
D004041:Dietary Fats; D014841:von Willebrand Factor