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Biomedical subjects

D M Hegsted

Publications and source records attributed to D M Hegsted.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Rice bran oil lowers serum total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and apo B levels in nonhuman primates.

The hypolipidemic response of rice bran oil (RBO) was investigated in nonhuman primates fed semi-purified diets containing blends of oils which included RBO at 0-35% Kcals as dietary fat. The studies demonstrated the following: (a) the degree of reduction of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) was highly correlated with initial serum cholesterol levels of the monkey on the stabilization diet; (b) the content of rice bran oil in the diet was the predominant factor influencing serum TC, LDLC and apoB causing up to a 40% reduction in LDLC without affecting high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) when RBO was the sole dietary oil fed; (c) the cholesterol-lowering capabilities of RBO were not explained by its fatty acid composition. These studies suggest that RBO may be an additional vegetable oil which lowers serum cholesterol levels by unique mechanisms which will require further study.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

A perspective on reducing salt intake.

Epidemiological, clinical, and experimental evidence links excessive salt consumption to hypertension; there appears to be no evidence that it is beneficial. I conclude that it should be public policy to advise and help Americans to reduce their salt intake. Because even mild hypertension increases risk, the overall problem does not appear to be amenable to treatment, although treatment for those with clinical hypertension will always be needed. There appears to be little likelihood that identification of those "at risk" will be successful, nor does it appear that we have the capacity at this time to conduct successful preventive field trials. It is difficult for the individual to modify his diet alone. The successful strategy is to modify the food supply by changing public demand. The public responds to dietary advice if acceptable and identifiable products are available. Because most of the salt is in commercially prepared foods and because their consumption will increase in the future, the major responsibility for lowering salt consumption will fall on the food manufacturers. They are beginning to respond, and there appears to be ample opportunity for them to reduce the salt content of foods markedly. Our temporary objectives, however, should be modest, because unrealistic objectives only discourage those who attempt to follow them.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1990

Trends in food consumption: implications for infant feeding.

We now have a near consensus that Americans should reduce their consumption of fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, consume a higher proportion of unsaturated fat, and eat less sugar and salt and more fruits, vegetables, and sources of complex carbohydrates. Data on what Americans are eating are fragmentary and undoubtedly outdated, because products continually change. Many, but not all, changes in consumption are in the right direction. This trend will continue, but we will be increasingly dependent on the food industries as more convenient foods are demanded. No one recommends very low fat diets for infants. There appears to be no evidence of risk at the recommended level of 30% of calories as fat. There will undoubtedly be some problems resulting from overemphasis on the risks associated with fat, sugar, and so forth, but there is no basis for questioning the general advice about what Americans should eat. Children must and eventually will learn to eat the family diet.

Diet↗
PubMed1989

Protein-calorie malnutrition in squirrel monkeys: adaptive response to calorie deficiency.

Control, low-protein, low-calorie, and low-protein-plus-low-calorie diets were fed to 37, 14, 8, and 16 infant squirrel monkeys, respectively, from ages 2-8 wk. The deficient diets were planned to prevent growth and were designed to examine the short- and long-term effects of defined nutritional restrictions on body weight, food intake, hematocrit, plasma albumin, growth hormone, and cortisol concentrations. During the restriction period, plasma albumin levels were significantly decreased in both groups with a protein restriction component: plasma cortisol levels were significantly increased only in the low protein and low calorie groups. No significant group differences were observed for hematocrit or plasma growth hormone. Results of this study indicate that 1) energy restriction did not seem to modify the protein requirement for weight maintenance and 2) animals fed low-protein diets, even in the face of growth failure, have a mechanism for wasting energy.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Recommended dietary intakes of elderly subjects.

Various authors have criticized the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) because they do not include values for elderly subjects. It is argued here that such values would not be useful. The large majority of elderly subjects have one or more diagnosed diseases, drug consumption is high, etc, and it is unlikely that specific dietary standards for such a group could be developed or would be useful. More importantly, I argue that the RDA do not and cannot do most of the things which dietary standards ought to do, and their use generates considerable misinformation. It is time to reconsider the whole issue of dietary standards. It is not clear that elderly subjects who do not require therapeutic diets need to consume a diet which differs from that of the rest of the population.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Diet and cancer.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Diet↗
PubMed1988

Diet, alcohol and coronary heart disease in men.

It is well known that there is a significant positive correlation between consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol and international mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD). It is less well appreciated that there is a strong negative correlation between alcohol consumption and CHD, as might be expected from the effect of alcohol on high density lipoprotein levels. Neither of the simple correlations, however, account for CHD in many countries. We examined dietary and alcohol consumption data from 18 countries. The simple correlations with CHD are as follows: saturated fat, r = 0.71; polyunsaturated fat, r = -0.34; total alcohol consumption, r = -0.58. A multiple-regression equation incorporating the dietary and alcohol data, however, yields an r of 0.92.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1987

Individual variation in serum cholesterol levels.

The intraindividual variances in serum/plasma cholesterol levels from a variety of sources have been examined. It is apparent that these are very substantial with mean coefficients of variation usually between 5% and 10%, even when the diet is controlled in metabolic studies. Some subjects show extreme variability from one blood sample to the next. Thus, it is very difficult to assess the degree of risk of individuals according to the guidelines provided by the Consensus Conference on lowering blood cholesterol levels to prevent heart disease, and many individuals will be misclassified unless particular attention is paid to this problem.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1987

Dissociated response of plasma albumin and transferrin to protein-calorie restriction in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).

The responses of albumin and transferrin to selective nutritional interventions were assessed in 31 infant monkeys. Diets were restricted in protein, calories, or both from age 2 to 8 wk (study A) or protein alone from age 4 to 24 wk (study B)--in both cases to prevent growth. Transferrin levels in study A were significantly lower than control in all three restricted groups whereas albumin levels were decreased only in both low-protein groups. In study B albumin and transferrin concentrations were significantly decreased during the first 12 wk of intervention. A sharp recovery in the transferrin concentrations, however, was observed when a minimal increase in protein intake was allowed in the latter portion of the study. It appears that the response of albumin is linked to amino acid availability whereas the response of transferrin is influenced by variables such as acute dietary manipulation and rate of growth, among others. The value of these indices as single predictors of nutritional status is questioned.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1986

Comparative assessment of soy and milk protein quality in infant cebus monkeys.

Protein qualities of lactalbumin (L), casein (C), soy concentrate (SC), soy isolate (SI), and soy isolate plus 15.3 mg methionine/g protein (SIM) were investigated in a slope-ratio assay using 32, 8-wk old cebus monkeys. Growth (28 days) and nitrogen balance (NB) (days 19-28) data were evaluated in a multiple-regression format with nitrogen intake and body weight as the independent variables. Based upon growth, potencies compared to L were: C, 72.1; SC, 52.5; SI, 40.6; and SIM, 72.2. Based upon NB, comparable potencies were: C, 62.2; SC, 69.0; SI, 46.8; and SIM, 90.7. NB data showed that the potency of SC was significantly greater than SI and that methionine supplementation of SI improved it to a potency not distinguishable from the standard. The marked improvement from SI to SIM emphasizes the beneficial effect of sulfur amino acid supplementation of soy protein for an infant primate species.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Serum-cholesterol response to dietary cholesterol: a re-evaluation.

The data from the literature in which the serum-cholesterol response has been measured following a change in cholesterol intake have been re-evaluated. The overall data appear to be best explained by exponential equations. However, very large differences in response have been reported for similar changes in cholesterol intake and no predictive equation can explain such values. It is concluded that over the range of cholesterol intakes of practical interest--0 to 400 mg/1000 kcal--the usual response is approximately linear, each 1 mg/1000 kcal resulting in an expected increase of serum cholesterol of approximately 0.1 mg/dl. With a 2500 kcal diet, an increase in intake of 100 mg/day would be expected to increase serum cholesterol by approximately 4 mg/dl.

Cholesterol↗