Association of dietary and phosphatidylcholine supplement intake with cardio-metabolic biomarkers among normo- and hyperlipidaemic individuals
Hyperlipidaemia is a worldwide health problem and is associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. Phosphatidylcholine is a component of cellular membranes and plays a vital role in lipoprotein metabolism. Many studies have investigated the effects of phosphatidylcholine on lipid profiles; however, results have been inconsistent, therefore the precise effects of dietary phosphatidylcholine remain unclear. This project aimed to: i) develop and validate a novel food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to measure dietary phosphatidylcholine intake; ii) investigate the relationship between dietary phosphatidylcholine intake (as assessed by FFQ) and lipid and cardiometabolic biomarkers among healthy individuals; and iii) determine the effects of two doses (600 mg and 2400 mg) of phosphatidylcholine supplementation on lipid profiles among hyperlipidaemic individuals. The study found no significant deviation from linearity (P = 0.50) between FFQs and a five-day weighed food record, which indicated that the developed FFQ was reliable and can be used to measure phosphatidylcholine intake in epidemiological studies (Study 1). There was a significant (P = 0.017) negative association between dietary phosphatidylcholine intake and triacylglycerol levels (Study 2); however, no relationship was found between dietary phosphatidylcholine intake and other cardiometabolic biomarkers, including total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) among healthy individuals. Finally, a 2400 mg supplementation study with phosphatidylcholine significantly reduced total cholesterol levels (P = 0.007) after a four week intervention, along with a significant (P = 0.030) increase in high density lipoprotein levels in the low dose group (600 mg) of phosphatidylcholine supplementation (Study 3). In conclusion, these studies have shown that dietary and oral phosphatidylcholine supplementation may play a positive role in normalising lipoprotein metabolism and increasing HDLC, a preventive biomarker of CVD. Further research in the potential of using phosphatidylcholine supplementation as a novel therapeutic agent to treat lipidaemic patients is recommended.
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