Efficacy of High-oleic Canola and Flaxseed Oils for Hypercholesterolemia and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Efficacy of Consumption of High-oleic Canola and Flaxseed Oils in the Management of Hypercholesterolemia and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of high-oleic canola oil and a high-oleic canola/flaxseed oil blend as compared to a typical Western diet on plasma lipids, fatty acid profiles, and risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease in hypercholesterolemic patients. Furthermore, the metabolism of dietary oleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid contained in high-oleic canola oil and flaxseed oil will be investigated.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Fasting serum LDL-Cholesterol >3.0 mmol/L
• Body mass index (BMI) between 22-36 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

• smoking
• use of lipid lowering therapy
• documented cardiovascular/atherosclerotic disease
• inflammatory disease
• diabetes
• uncontrolled hypertension
• kidney disease
• other systemic diseases
• cancer
• chronic alcohol consumption (> 2 servings/day)
• excessive exercise expenditure (> 4000 kcal/week)