title: Alteration of cardiovascular autonomic functions by vegetarian diets in postmenopausal women is related to LDL cholesterol levels.
abstract: This study was designed to test the hypothesis that alteration of cardiovascular autonomic functions by vegetarian diets in healthy postmenopausal women is related to lipid metabolism. A total of 70 healthy postmenopausal women not on hormone therapy participated in this study: 35 were vegetarians (mean age 55.0 years) and 35 were omnivores (mean age 55.1 years). Cardiovascular autonomic functions and baroreflex sensitivity were evaluated by specific frequency-domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and arterial blood pressure fluctuation. The vegetarians had statistically significant lowered blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting glucose levels compared with the omnivores. The vegetarians exhibited a significant higher total power, low-frequency (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high-frequency (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) of HRV and increased baroreflex sensitivity measures [Brr(LF) and Brr(HF)] compared with the omnivores. Total power, LF and HF of HRV, Brr(LF), and Brr(HF) were significantly and negatively correlated with LDL-cholesterol concentrations (P < 0.01). We concluded that the increases of cardiac vagal activity and baroreflex sensitivity by vegetarian diets in postmenopausal women are inversely related to LDL-cholesterol levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Buddhist Taichung Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chin-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Cheryl C H
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chin-Lon
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Terry B J
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL