Effect of Carrageenans on Vegetable Jelly in Humans with Hypercholesterolemia
Ana Valado,
Maria Pereira,
Armando Caseiro,
João P. Figueiredo,
Helena Loureiro,
Carla Almeida,
João Cotas,
Leonel Pereira
Affiliations
Ana Valado
Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, ESTeSC-Coimbra Health School, Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Rua 5 de Outubro, S. Martinho do Bispo, Apart. 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal
Maria Pereira
Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, ESTeSC-Coimbra Health School, Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Rua 5 de Outubro, S. Martinho do Bispo, Apart. 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal
Armando Caseiro
Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, ESTeSC-Coimbra Health School, Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Rua 5 de Outubro, S. Martinho do Bispo, Apart. 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal
João P. Figueiredo
Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, ESTeSC-Coimbra Health School, Department of Complementary Sciences, Rua 5 de Outubro, S. Martinho do Bispo, Apart. 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal
Helena Loureiro
Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, ESTeSC-Coimbra Health School, Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Rua 5 de Outubro, S. Martinho do Bispo, Apart. 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal
Carla Almeida
Condi Alimentar, Quinta Palmares Armazém, Rua do Ferro, 2685-459 Camarate, Portugal
João Cotas
Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3001-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Leonel Pereira
Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3001-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Changes in lipid profile constitute the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Algae extracted carrageenans are long-chain polysaccharides and their ability to form gels provides for the formation of vegetable jelly. The objective was to evaluate the bioactive potential of carrageenan (E407) in the lipid profile, after ingestion of jelly. A total of 30 volunteers of both sexes, aged 20−64 years and with total cholesterol (TC) values ≥200 mg/dL, who ingested 100 mL/day of jelly for 60 days, were studied. All had two venous blood collections: before starting the jelly intake and after 60 days. At both times, TC, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG), were evaluated using commercial kits and spectrophotometer. The statistics were performed using the SPSS 25.0 software and p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Serum values after 60 days of jelly intake revealed a statistically significant decrease in TC levels (5.3%; p = 0.001) and LDL-C concentration (5.4%; p = 0.048) in females. The daily intake of vegetable jelly for 60 days showed a reduction in serum TC and LDL-C levels in women, allowing us to conclude that carrageenan has bioactive potential in reducing TC concentration.
