Pasta Supplemented with <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Extract Improves Metabolic Parameters and Reduces Atherogenic Small Dense Low-Density Lipoproteins in Patients with Risk Factors for the Metabolic Syndrome: A Four-Week Intervention Study

• Main Authors: Rosaria Vincenza Giglio, Giuseppe Carruba, Arrigo F.G. Cicero, Maciej Banach, Angelo Maria Patti, Dragana Nikolic, Letizia Cocciadiferro, Maurizio Zarcone, Giuseppe Montalto, Anca Pantea Stoian, Yajnavalka Banerjee, Ali A. Rizvi, Peter P. Toth, Manfredi Rizzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Metabolites
• Subjects: cardiovascular risk; dyslipidemia; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; nutraceuticals; <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/10/11/428

Food supplementation with <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> (OFI) has been associated with a significant reduction in total cholesterol, body fat, hyperglycemia and blood pressure. Since OFI may also have antioxidant and anti-atherogenic properties, we hypothesized that its supplementation might reduce atherogenic lipoproteins, including small, dense low-density lipoproteins (sdLDL). Forty-nine patients (13 men and 36 women, mean age: 56 ± 5 years) with one or two criteria for the metabolic syndrome weekly consumed 500 g of pasta supplemented with 3% OFI extract (30% of insoluble polysaccharides with high antioxidant power) for 1 month. The full LDL subclass profile was assessed by gel electrophoresis (Lipoprint, Quantimetrix, Redondo Beach, CA, USA). After 1 month of pasta supplementation, waist circumference (<i>p</i> = 0.0297), plasma glucose (<i>p</i> < 0.0001), triglycerides (<i>p</i> = 0.0137), plasma creatinine (<i>p</i> = 0.0244), urea and aspartate transaminase (<i>p</i> < 0.0001 for each) significantly decreased. A percentage increase in larger, less atherogenic LDL-1 (<i>p</i> = 0.0002), with a concomitant reduction in smaller, denser LDL-2 (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) and LDL-3 (<i>p</i> = 0.0004), were found. LDL-4 and-5 decreased, although not significantly. This is the first intervention study suggesting that pasta enriched with an OFI extract may have beneficial effects on some metabolic parameters and the LDL particle sizes, reducing atherogenic sdLDL. Future studies will help to establish if these findings impact cardiovascular outcomes.