title: Evaluation of cardiovascular protective effect of different apple varieties - Correlation of response with composition.
abstract: Epidemiological evidence supports the concept that diets rich in fruits and vegetables promote health and attenuate or delay the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, a reduced risk of CVD has been associated with apple consumption, probably due to the cholesterol-lowering effect of the main bioactive compounds, namely fibre and polyphenols. In this work, the effect of diet supplementation with 20% of three Portuguese apple cultivars (Bravo de Esmolfe, Malápio Serra and Golden), containing distinct phenolic and fibre concentrations, on serum lipid profile and oxLDL of male Wistar rats fed a cholesterol-enriched diet (2%) was evaluated. After 30 days, only Bravo de Esmolfe apple was able to decrease significantly serum levels of triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol concentrations (reductions of 27.2%, 21.0% and 20.4%, respectively, in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group, P<0.05). The levels of oxLDL were also significantly improved with the consumption of this apple variety (reductions of 20.0% and 11.9%, in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group and control group, respectively, P>0.05) as well as with Malapio da Serra apple (reductions of 9.8% in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group, P<0.05). Correlation of the bioactive response with chemical composition showed that catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1 and β-carotene are the major phytocompounds responsible for the cholesterol lowering ability of apples. The antioxidant potential may have also contributed to this beneficial effect.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida da República, Estação Agronómica Nacional, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Teresa
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sepodes
authors.forename: Ana A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Matias
authors.forename: Rodrigo P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Feliciano
authors.forename: Agostinho
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bronze
authors.forename: Catarina M M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Figueira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D027845:Malus / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol