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Modest improvement in CVD risk markers in older adults following quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) consumption: a randomized-controlled crossover study with a novel food product

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effect of consuming quinoa biscuits on markers of CVD risk over 4 weeks in free-living older adults.

Methods

A randomized-controlled, double-blind crossover trial was conducted in which consenting healthy adults aged 50–75 years (n = 40) consumed 15 g quinoa biscuits (60 g quinoa flour/100 g) or control iso–energetic biscuits (made using wheat flour) daily for 28 consecutive days (4 weeks), in addition to their normal diet. Following a 6-week washout, participants consumed the alternate biscuit for a final 4 weeks. Anthropometry and fasted blood samples were obtained before and after each intervention period.

Results

At the beginning of the trial, mean ± SD total cholesterol concentrations were 6.02 ± 1.22 mmol/L (3.7–9.2 mmol/L); 33 participants (82.5%) had high cholesterol (> 5 mmol/L). No participants were lost to follow-up and there were no changes in habitual dietary intakes or levels of physical activity between each 4-week intervention period. Significantly greater decreases in total and LDL cholesterol concentrations (− 0.30 ± 0.58 and − 0.25 ± 0.38 mmol/L, respectively), TC: HDL ratio (− 0.11 ± 0.30), weight (− 0.61 ± 0.89 kg) and BMI (− 0.22 ± 0.34 kg/m2) were apparent following consumption of the quinoa versus control biscuits (all P < 0.05). Changes in triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, or PUFA or CRP concentrations were not significant between treatment groups.

Conclusion

Consumption of novel quinoa biscuits produced small, but favorable changes in body weight, BMI, and circulating cholesterol concentrations, all of which may contribute to lowered CVD risk in older adults.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Arachidonic acid

ALA:

α-Linolenic acid

BMI:

Body mass index

BP:

Blood pressure

CRP:

C-reactive protein

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid

FRAP:

Ferric reducing ability of plasma

HDL:

High density lipoprotein

LA:

Linoleic acid

LDL:

Low density lipoprotein

MET:

Metabolic equivalents

PA:

Physical activity

PAEE:

Physical activity energy expenditure

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid

TC:

Total cholesterol

UFA:

Unsaturated fatty acid

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Acknowledgements

The authors’ responsibilities were as follows—EC, AO, NGT, and CIRG contributed to study conception and designed research; LKP, EC, BWH and CIRG conducted research and/or laboratory analysis; LKP analyzed data; EC and AO provided essential materials for research; LKP, EC and NGT wrote the paper; CIRG had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. We acknowledge Dr Ruth Price for randomization of the study biscuits, Mr Neil Dennison for his help with laboratory analysis, Mr Dermot Liddy for help with data entry, and all participants for taking part in the study.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, CONICYT) Chile/UK (ref: R15F10005).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), Ulster University, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, UK

    L. Kirsty Pourshahidi, Nigel G. Ternan & Chris I. R. Gill

  2. Regional Centre for Studies in Food and Health (CREAS), Avenida Universidad N°330, Valparaiso, Chile

    Eduardo Caballero & Alejandro Osses

  3. School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, UK

    Barry W. Hyland

Authors
  1. L. Kirsty Pourshahidi
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  2. Eduardo Caballero
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  3. Alejandro Osses
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  4. Barry W. Hyland
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  5. Nigel G. Ternan
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  6. Chris I. R. Gill
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chris I. R. Gill.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was conducted with the prior approval of the Ulster University Research Ethics Committee (REC/16/0106) and with the informed consent of participants. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03291548).

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Pourshahidi, L.K., Caballero, E., Osses, A. et al. Modest improvement in CVD risk markers in older adults following quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) consumption: a randomized-controlled crossover study with a novel food product. Eur J Nutr 59, 3313–3323 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02169-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02169-0

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