Lee Swanson Research Update

Heart Disease Risk Appears to Drop with Protein Isolate

November 2010

Protein isolates from sesame seed may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the results of a new study with rats.

The study, published in the Journal of Food Science, found that dietary intake of sesame protein isolates lowers levels of total plasma cholesterol and has beneficial effects on lipid peroxidation, triacylglycerol and LDL and HDL cholesterol concentrations.

"Sesame protein isolate consumption can reduce cardiovascular disease by reducing LDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol and by increasing HDL cholesterol," stated the researchers, led by Dr. Santinath Ghosh from Calcutta University.

According to the authors, much current research and product development is focused on products helping to reduce or control diet-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis and liver failure. They noted that dietary protein has been shown to affect plasma cholesterol concentration and metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the liver.

"As far as we know, there are no investigations on the dietary effects of sesame protein isolate on experimental hyperlipidemia… The aim of the study was to assess sesame protein isolate on plasma, erythrocyte (red blood cell) membrane and liver lipid profile and corresponding lipid peroxidation in rats with diet-induced hyperlipidemia," wrote Dr. Ghosh and colleagues.

The researchers reported total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels were significantly reduced by sesame protein isolate-fed rats with high cholesterol diets, compared to the control casein-fed rats.

HDL cholesterol levels were also seen to increase by 41% through ingestion of sesame protein isolate. The authors observed up to a 64% lowering of plasma lipid peroxidation as well as up to 56% reductions in lipoprotein oxidation susceptibility in sesame protein isolate and isolate-containing cholesterol groups.

Dr. Ghosh and co-workers also reported significant lowering of red blood cell membrane lipid peroxidation (up to 68% lower) and liver lipid peroxidation (up to 75% lower) from sesame protein isolate.

"This sesame protein isolate, even in association with cholesterol, was able to protect plasma lipoproteins against oxidation," Dr. Ghosh and his colleagues stated. "Therefore, our results indicate that sesame protein isolate decreases cholesterol concentration in plasma, increases HDL cholesterol and also decreases plasma and erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation with or without a cholesterol-fed diet in rats," they added.

Journal of Food Science 75(9):H274-H279, 2010

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