This nicotine vaccine appeared well tolerated but did not influence trajectories of relapse possibly because of insufficient antibody levels or lack of efficacy of the vaccine concept for relapse prevention.

Among men and women with moderately elevated BP, intake of three kiwifruits was associated with lower systolic and diastolic 24-h BP compared with one apple a day. The effect may be regulated by mechanisms other than improvement of endothelial function.

Hypocaloric diets improved inflammatory biomarkers and adipokines independently of dietary composition. The response tended to be greater in subjects with three or more components of metabolic syndrome than their counterparts with one to two components.

Background SFA intake increases LDL cholesterol whereas PUFA intake lowers it. Whether the lipid response to dietary fat differs between normal-weight and obese persons is of relevance to dietary recommendations for obese populations. Objectives We compared the effect of substituting unsaturated fat for saturated fat on LDL cholesterol and apoB concentrations in normal-weight (BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2) and obese (BMI: 30–45) subjects with elevated LDL cholesterol. Methods We randomly assigned 83 men and women (aged 21–70 y) stratified by BMI (normal: n = 44; obese: n = 39) and elevated LDL cholesterol (mean ± SD, normal weight 4.6 ± 0.9 mmol/L; obese 4.4 ± 0.8 mmol/L) to either a PUFA diet enriched with oil-based margarine ( n = 42) or an SFA diet enriched with butter (n = 41) for 6 wk. Results Seven-day dietary records showed differences of ∼9 energy percent (E%) in SFA and ∼4 E% in PUFA between the SFA and PUFA groups. In the total study population, the PUFA diet compared with the SFA diet lowered LDL cholesterol (−0.31 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.47, −0.15 mmol/L, compared with 0.32 mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.47 mmol/L; P < 0.001) and apoB (−0.08 g/L; 95% CI: −0.11, −0.05 g/L, compared with 0.07 g/L; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.10 g/L; P < 0.001). Tests of the BMI × diet interaction were significant for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apoB ( P values ≤ 0.009). In normal-weight compared with obese participants post-hoc comparisons found that the respective changes in LDL cholesterol were 9.7% (95% CI: 5.3%, 14.2%) compared with 5.3% (95% CI: −0.7%, 11.2%), P = 0.206, in the SFA group, and −10.4% (95% CI: −15.2%, −5.7%) compared with −2.3% (95% CI: −7.4%, 2.8%), P = 0.020, in the PUFA group. ApoB changes were 7.5% (95% CI: 3.5%, 11.4%) compared with 3.0% (95% CI: −1.7%, 7.7%), P = 0.140, in the SFA group, and −8.9% (95% CI: −12.6%, −5.2%) compared with −3.8% (95% CI: −6.3%, −1.2%), P = 0.021, in the PUFA group. Responses to dietary fat were not associated with changes in polyprotein convertase subtisilin/kexin type 9 concentrations. Conclusions BMI modifies the effect of PUFAs compared with SFAs, with smaller improvements in atherogenic lipid concentrations in obese than in normal-weight individuals, possibly supporting adjustment of dietary recommendations according to BMI. This trial was registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02589769.

Objectives: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) reduce insulin resistance, but also have pleiotropic properties including effects on inflammation. The balance between protective and proatherogenic effects may differ in various patient populations. We studied the effect of rosiglitazone on inflammatory markers in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). Methods: In a cross-over randomized controlled trial, 23 subjects with MetSyn were assigned to treatment with rosiglitazone that was uptitrated from 4 mg/day for 6 weeks followed by 8 mg/day for 6 weeks or matching placebo for 12 weeks, and then to the opposite treatment for 12 weeks. Plasma levels of inflammatory and metabolic markers were measured during follow-up. Results: Our main findings were i) compared to placebo, rosiglitazone significantly decreased the plasma levels of the naturally occurring interleukin (IL)1 inhibitor, IL1 receptor antagonist (IL1Ra; PZ0.001), potentially reflecting inflammatory effects on the IL1 system; ii) parallel to this, rosiglitazone decreased plasma levels of IL10 (PZ0.029) further suggesting inflammatory effects; iii) rosiglitazone decreased uric acid levels (PZ0.001), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (PZ0.05) and C-reactive protein (PZ0.06) tended to be lower after rosiglitazone than placebo, suggesting potential pro-and anti-inflammatory effects simultaneously and iv) in vitro, rosiglitazone enhanced IL1Ra and decreased IL1b in THP-1 monocytes, illustrating the complex effects of these medications, potentially exhibiting anti-inflammatory effects on the IL1 system in certain tissues or cells at least at certain concentrations. Conclusion: Our findings suggest inflammatory effects on the IL1 system during rosiglitazone therapy in MetSyn. However, anti-inflammatory effects were also observed, and the net effect of TZDs in MetSyn should be further investigated.