Effect of a therapeutic lifestyle change diet on immune functions of moderately hypercholesterolemic humans.
Hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and also could contribute to impaired immune response. The National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel recommends a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) diet to reduce the risk for CHD. We investigated the effects of changing from a high-fat Western diet to a low-fat diet in accordance with a TLC diet on immune functions of older adults with hypercholesterolemia to determine whether improving the lipid profile via dietary intervention would have beneficial effects on immune functions. In a double-blind study, 18 subjects consumed both a Western diet (38% fat) and a TLC diet (28% fat) for 32 days in a randomized order. Measures of cellular immune responses, including delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, in vitro lymphocyte proliferation, and interleukin (IL)-2 production, and production of proinflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta, and prostaglandin E2, were determined. DTH response and lymphocyte proliferative response increased significantly (29% and 27%, respectively) after consumption of a TLC diet. Our results indicate that consumption of a TLC diet enhances T cell-mediated immune functions in older adults with elevated cholesterol level. This might be a clinically important benefit, considering the decline of T cell-mediated immune functions with aging and evidence of impaired immune function associated with hypercholesterolemia.
Han
Sung Nim
SN
Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
Leka
Lynette S
LS
Lichtenstein
Alice H
AH
Ausman
Lynne M
LM
Meydani
Simin N
SN
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008019:Life Style; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
D007375:Interleukin-1; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008074:Lipoproteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C030104:lipoprotein cholesterol; D002784:Cholesterol; D015232:Dinoprostone