Nutritional intervention study with argan oil in man: effects on lipids and apolipoproteins.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether the consumption of virgin argan oil (VAO) is associated with a change in serum lipids and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy Moroccans.


METHODS
Sixty volunteers consumed butter (25 g/day) during 2 weeks (stabilization period) and were randomly divided into two groups: the treatment group received 25 g/day of VAO during 3 weeks (intervention period), and the control group received 25 g/day of extra virgin olive oil (EVO). Throughout the study, weight, blood pressure, and daily food intake were measured. Serum total cholesterol and low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoproteins A-I and B were measured at the end of each diet period.


RESULTS
Analysis of food intake showed that the daily diet is isocaloric for the butter regimen (2,537 +/- 244 kcal/day) as well as for the VAO and EVO regimens (2,561+/- 246 and 2,560 +/- 253 kcal/day, respectively). Analysis of the lipid intake showed a reduction in saturated fatty acids with VAO and EVO regimens (27 +/- 1.4 and 26.4 +/- 3.4%, respectively) as compared with the stabilization period (41.6 +/- 2.4%). The analysis of serum lipids showed a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I in both VAO group (8.4%, p = 0.012, and 5.2%, p = 0.027, respectively) and EVO group (17.3%, p = 0.001, and 5.9%, p = 0.036, respectively). However, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (13.8%, p = 0.037, and 7.8%, p = 0.039, respectively) decreased significantly only in EVO group as compared with the stabilization period, while triglycerides decreased significantly by 17.5% (p = 0.039) only in VAO group.


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm the cholesterol-lowering effect of EVO and show for the first time the triglyceride-lowering effect of VAO in men.
Derouiche
A
A
Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Lipoprotéines, Faculté des Sciences Ben M'Sik, Casablanca, Maroc. afderouiche@yahoo.fr
Cherki
M
M
Drissi
A
A
Bamou
Y
Y
El Messal
M
M
Idrissi-Oudghiri
A
A
Lecerf
J M
JM
Adlouni
A
A
D000328:Adult; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000097:blood*; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D029632:Sapotaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D024505:Tocopherols / Q000032:analysis; D014197:Trees; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D005227:Fatty Acids; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D024505:Tocopherols