Descrição
"Epidemiological evidence supports the concept that diets rich in fruits and vegetables
promote health and attenuate or delay the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In
particular, a reduced risk of CVD has been associated with apple consumption, probably
due to the cholesterol-lowering effect of the main bioactive compounds, namely fiber
and polyphenols.
In this work, the effect of diet supplementation with 20% of three Portuguese apple
cultivars (Bravo de Esmolfe, Malápio Serra and Golden), containing distinct phenolic
and fiber concentrations, on serum lipid profile and oxLDL of male Wistar rats fed a
cholesterol-enriched diet (2%) was evaluated. After 30 days, only Bravo de Esmolfe
apple was able to decrease significantly serum levels of triglycerides, total and LDL
cholesterol concentrations (reductions of 27.2%, 21.0% and 20.4%, respectively, in
relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group, p<0.05) . The levels of oxLDL were also
significantly improved with the consumption of this apple variety (reductions of 20.0%
and 11.9%, in relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group and control group,
respectively, p>0.05) as well as with Malapio da Serra apple (reductions of 9.8% in
relation to the cholesterol-enriched diet group, p<0.05). Correlation of the bioactive
response with chemical composition showed that catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1
and -carotene are the major phytocompounds responsible for the cholesterol lowering
ability of apples. The antioxidant potential may have also contributed to this beneficial
effect."
; Rocha, J. 
