Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between risk of CVD and intake of whole grain (WG)-rich food. Regular consumption of breakfast cereals can provide not only an increase in dietary WG but also improvements to cardiovascular health. Various mechanisms have been proposed, including prebiotic modulation of the colonic microbiota. In the present study, the prebiotic activity of a maize-derived WG cereal (WGM) was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled human feeding study (n 32). For a period of 21 d, healthy men and women, mean age 32 (SD 8) years and BMI 23·3 (SD 0·58) kg/m 2 , consumed either 48 g/d WG cereal (WGM) or 48 g placebo cereal (non-whole grain (NWG)) in a crossover fashion. Faecal samples were collected at five points during the study on days 0, 21, 42, 63 and 84 (representing at baseline, after both treatments and both wash-out periods). Faecal bacteriology was assessed using fluorescence in situ hybridisation with 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes specific for Bacteroides spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Clostridium histolyticum/perfringens subgroup, Lactobacillus -Enterococcus subgroup and total bacteria. After 21 d consumption of WGM, mean group levels of faecal bifidobacteria increased significantly compared with the control cereal (P¼0·001). After a 3-week wash-out period, bifidobacterial levels returned to pre-intervention levels. No statistically significant changes were observed in serum lipids, glucose or measures of faecal output. In conclusion, this WG maize-enriched breakfast cereal mediated a bifidogenic modulation of the gut microbiota, indicating a possible prebiotic mode of action.Gut microbiota: Breakfast: Cereals: Whole grains: Maize: Prebiotics A diet rich in whole grains (WG) is widely considered to be beneficial; however, WG consumed as breakfast cereals are reported to have a number of additional benefits, including regulation of body weight, decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and an inverse relationship with CVD-specific and total mortality (1 -3) . The gut microbiota is increasingly recognised as a co-evolved microbial partner, complementing and extending human-encoded metabolic capabilities and interacting closely with human diet to mediate host health and disease (4 -7) . Supplementation of the gut with fermentable carbohydrates such as inulin and resistant starch has been shown to decrease the risk of chronic disease, and can be partly attributed to modulation of the gut microbiota via the prebiotic effect (8 -11) . Commercially established prebiotics are often non-digestible oligosaccharides such as fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin and oligofructose, together with emerging prebiotics such as xylo-oligosaccharides and arabinoxylan oligosaccharides. Despite a good safety record in large doses, they can be responsible for gastrointestinal discomfort as tolerance, and side effects can vary widely between individuals (12) . An alternative approach is to use foods that are naturally WG rich which when fermented in vivo possess inherent potential prebi...

Relative to the wild-type APOE3/E3 group, our results indicate a greater sensitivity of fasting triglycerides and CRP to dietary fat manipulation in those with an APOE3/E4 genotype (25% population), with no effect of this allelic profile on cholesterol concentrations.

No abstract

Although a modest impact of APOE genotype was observed on the plasma TAG profile, dietary fat manipulation emerged as a greater modulator of the postprandial lipid response in normolipidaemic men.

Response to dietary fat manipulation is highly heterogeneous, yet generic population-based recommendations aimed at reducing the burden of CVD are given. The APOE epsilon genotype has been proposed to be an important determinant of this response. The present study reports on the dietary strategy employed in the SATgen1 (SATurated fat and gene APOE) study, to assess the impact of altered fat content and composition on the blood lipid profile according to the APOE genotype. A flexible dietary exchange model was developed to implement three isoenergetic diets: a low-fat (LF) diet (target composition: 24 % of energy (%E) as fat, 8 %E SFA and 59 %E carbohydrate), a high-saturated fat (HSF) diet (38 %E fat, 18 %E SFA and 45 %E carbohydrate) and a HSF-DHA diet (HSF diet with 3 g DHA/d). Free-living participants (n 88; n 44 E3/E3 and n 44 E3/E4) followed the diets in a sequential design for 8 weeks, each using commercially available spreads, oils and snacks with specific fatty acid profiles. Dietary compositional targets were broadly met with significantly higher total fat (42·8 %E and 41·0 %E v. 25·1 %E, P#0·0011) and SFA (19·3 %E and 18·6 %E v. 8·33 %E, P# 0·0011) intakes during the HSF and HSF-DHA diets compared with the LF diet, in addition to significantly higher DHA intake during the HSF-DHA diet (P#0·0011). Plasma phospholipid fatty acid analysis revealed a 2-fold increase in the proportion of DHA after consumption of the HSF-DHA diet for 8 weeks, which was independent of the APOE genotype. In summary, the dietary strategy was successfully implemented in a free-living population resulting in well-tolerated diets which broadly met the dietary targets set.Key words: Dietary fat composition: APOE genotype: SFA: DHA In order to reduce the risk of CVD, the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommends a population reduction of dietary saturated fat (SFA) intake to an average of ,11 % of food energy and a minimum daily intake of 0·45 g of the long-chain n-3 PUFA (LC n-3 PUFA), EPA and DHA (1) . There is a rapidly increasing body of evidence on the significant impact of genetic variation and other physiological and lifestyle factors on an individual's response to dietary manipulation, and a recognition of the large interindividual heterogeneity in response to dietary change. In light of this, it is predicted that a more personalised/stratified approach to nutritional advice may be more effective in the reduction of disease risk (2) relative to the more generic advice currently provided. Available evidence examining genotype -diet -phenotype associations is largely derived from epidemiological studies, with data from 'fit-for-purpose' randomised controlled trials distinctly lacking.ApoE is a structural component of TAG-rich lipoproteins required for lipid transport and clearance. There are a number of SNP of the gene encoding for this apolipoprotein. The most studied are the APOE epsilon missense mutations rs429358 and rs7412 that give rise to three common isoforms (Apo12, Apo13 and Apo14). Thes...