Crossover study of diets enriched with virgin olive oil, walnuts or almonds. Effects on lipids and other cardiovascular risk markers

Background and aims: Virgin olive oil (VOO) and nuts are basic components of the Mediterranean diet, a heart-healthy dietary pattern. Nuts have well known cholesterol lowering effects, while evidence is unclear for VOO. We designed a study in hypercholesterolemic patients to assess the effects on serum lipids and other intermediate markers of cardiovascular risk of replacing 40% of the fat in the background diet with VOO, walnuts or almonds. Methods and Results: After a 4 week run-in period with a healthy diet, eligible candidates were randomized into three diet sequences in a crossover design, with a common background diet enriched with VOO, walnuts or almonds, lasting 4 weeks each. Outcomes were changes of serum lipids and oxidation and inflammation markers, measured by standard methods. Plasma fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography to assess compliance. In 18 participants completing the study (9 women, mean age 56 y, BMI 25.7 kg/m(2)), LDL-cholesterol was reduced from baseline by 7.3%, 10.8% and 13.4% after the VOO, walnut and almond diets, respectively (P = 0.001, Friedman test). Total cholesterol and LDL/HDL ratios decreased in parallel. LDL-cholesterol decreases were greater than predicted from dietary fatty acid and cholesterol exchanges among diets. No changes of other lipid fractions, oxidation analytes or inflammatory biomarkers were observed. Plasma fatty acid changes after each diet sequence supported good compliance.

Longitudinal Study of Growth of Children With Unilateral Cleft-Lip Palate From Birth to Two Years of Age

Objective: To study the growth of children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) from birth to 2 years of age and to construct specific UCLP growth curves. Design: Physical growth was a secondary outcome measure of a National Institutes of Health-sponsored longitudinal, prospective clinical trial involving the University of Florida (United States) and the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). Patients: Six hundred twenty-seven children with UCLP, nonsyndromic, both genders. Methods: Length, weight, and head circumference were prospectively measured for a group of children enrolled in a clinical trial. Median growth curves for the three parameters (length, weight, head circumference) were performed and compared with the median for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) curves. The median values for length, weight, and head circumference at birth and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age were plotted against NCHS median values and statistically compared at birth and 24 months. Setting: Hospital de Reabilitacao de Anomalias Craniofaciais, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Bauru, Brazil (HRAC-USP). Results: At birth, children of both genders with UCLP presented with smaller body dimensions in relation to NCHS median values, but the results suggest a catch-up growth for length, weight, and head circumference for girls and for weight (to some degree) and head circumference for boys. Conclusions: Weight was the most compromised parameter for both genders, followed by length and then head circumference. There was no evidence of short stature. This study established growth curves for children with UCLP.