Effects of a concentrated bran fibre preparation on HDL-cholesterol in hypercholesterolaemic men.

The effect of adding a purified form of wheat fibre (10.5 g/d) to a lipid-lowering diet was investigated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study (two 8-week periods) in 12 males (36-46 years old) with hypercholesterolaemia. Normolipidaemic men (n = 14, 45-46 years old) were used as controls in evaluation of the seasonal variation of serum lipids and lipoproteins in untreated subjects. Addition of wheat fibre was associated with non-significant decreases in cholesterol in very low and low density lipoproteins and a significant increase in cholesterol in high density lipoprotein. Serum cholesterol was unchanged in the treatment group but increased in the untreated control group. It is concluded that enrichment of a lipid-lowering diet with concentrated wheat fibre may be of value in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia.