Fast Breaking Comment by Maria-Luz Fernandez

Maria-Luz Fernandez answers a few questions about this month's fast breaking paper in the field of Agricultural Sciences.

From •>>June 2007

Field: Agricultural Sciences
Article Title: Carbohydrate restriction alters lipoprotein metabolism by modifying VLDL, LDL, and HDL subfraction distribution and size in overweight men
Authors: Wood, RJ;Volek, JS;Liu, YZ;Shachter, NS;Contois, JH;Fernandez, ML
Journal: J NUTR
Volume: 136
Issue: 2
Page: 384-389
Year: FEB 2006
* Univ Connecticut, Dept Nutr Sci, Storrs, CT 06269 USA.
* Univ Connecticut, Dept Nutr Sci, Storrs, CT 06269 USA.
* Univ Connecticut, Dept Kinesiol, Storrs, CT 06269 USA.
* Columbia Univ, Dept Med, New York, NY 10032 USA.
* Lipsci Incorp, Raleigh, NC 27616 USA.

Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

Because it shows that a low-carbohydrate diet has a positive impact on lipoprotein metabolism.

Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

We are using a new technique: NMR to measure lipoprotein size. This is the first time that this has been done in samples from subjects undergoing a low-carbohydrate diet.

Could you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

Low-carbohydrate diets decrease plasma triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol; both of these outcomes are known to decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease. In addition, they increase the size of the LDL, which is considered also a good thing and increases the size of HDL.

How did you become involved in this research, and were there any particular problems encountered along the way?

I have always been interested in how diet affects lipoprotein metabolism and therefore the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Maria Luz-Fernandez
Research Associate Professor
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Department of Nutritional Sciences
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CN, USA

ESI Special Topics, June 2007
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/fbp/2007/june07-Maria-LuzFernandez.html