Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Results of the parallel design human-controlled feeding trial of 28 older adults consuming either 3 oz or 6 oz of lean beef daily while following the DASH diet for 12 weeks show a 22.1% reduction in total plasma ceramide at week 6 (p < 0.001) and a 9.6% decrease in plasma choline at week 12 (p = 0.012).
The number of adults aged ≥65 years is increasing worldwide, and the number of older adults is expected to reach 2.1 billion people by 20501. These gains in longevity also lead to an increase in age-related diseases, often referred to as noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers2. Specific biomarkers, such as ceramides and choline, provide an acceptable risk management to predict cardiometabolic outcomes3.
Ceramides function as intracellular signals of free fatty acid abundance, initiating responses that allow cells to cope with lipid burden during physiological or nutritional stress4. Additionally, choline is an essential nutrient that plays a vital role in human metabolism; however, elevated levels have been found to be associated with increased risk of CVD5. Clinical guidelines recommend dietary strategies, such as the DASH dietary pattern, which emphasizes consumption of nutrient dense whole foods and reduction of saturated fat, cholesterol, processed meats, and sugars, to reduce the risk of developing CVD6.
Tate et al. conducted a parallel design human-controlled feeding trial to assess the changes in plasma choline, choline metabolites, and ceramide in response to the DASH diet in older adults. Subject inclusion consisted of being an adult aged 65-84 years, with complete information regarding date of birth, and medication, vitamin, drug, and alcohol use. 28 older adults (17 female, 11 male) were randomized to consume either 3 oz (85 g; n=15) or 6 oz (170.1; n=13) of lean beef while following a standardized DASH diet for 12 weeks. Those in the 3 oz beef group consumed around 257 mg of choline and 28 mg of betaine daily. Subjects in the 6 oz beef group consumed around 336 mg of choline and 35 mg of betaine daily. Both groups had distributed equal amounts of beef based on their subject group that was distributed amongst three meals, and one meal was required to be consumed at the laboratory of the trial. Participants had to verify food consumption by completing a daily checklist and were also given a multivitamin to consume daily.
Subject information regarding body composition were collected, along with fasted blood sampling to measure total cholesterol, LDL-C, glucose, CRP, insulin, IL-8, HOMA-IR, and myostatin. Fasted blood samples were analyzed at weeks 0, 6, and 12. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was used to analyze choline, betaine, L-carnitine, and TMAO. A Thermo Scientific Vanquish Horizon UHPLC System was utilized for ceramide analysis. Independent samples t-tests were performed to assess differences at baseline and week 12 by beef intake group and by sex. A mixed design ANOVA was used to observe changes in choline, choline metabolites, ceramide, and triglycerides after 12-week intervention. Independent samples t-test were also utilized to analyze concentrations of lysophosphotidyl choline (LPC), sphingomyelin, and ceramide species at baseline and week 12 by beef intake group.
Subjects in the 3 oz beef group at baseline had higher plasma total LPC (p = 0.050) and plasma triglycerides (p = 0.023) compared to subjects in the 6 oz beef group. Significant findings of the study are as follows:
- Participants consuming 6 oz beef for 12 weeks experienced higher circulating TMAO concentrations (p = 0.033) and higher plasma triglycerides (p = 0.003) compared to those consuming 3 oz beef.
- Differences separated by sex at week 12 include higher betaine levels amongst men (p = 0.040) compared to females. Furthermore, males had higher DMG (p < 0.001), and higher triglyceride concentrations compared to females at week 12.
- Total plasma ceramide reduced by 22.1% from baseline to week 6 (p < 0.001) and plasma choline decreased by 9.6% from baseline to week 12 (p = 0.012).
Results of the parallel design human-controlled feeding trial show that consumption of 3 or 6 oz. beef while adhering to the DASH diet significantly reduced plasma ceramide levels and decreased plasma choline levels in older adults. These findings suggest that strict adherence to the DASH diet may positively influence cardiometabolic health. Study limitations include the lack of a control group and the lack of subject diversity which makes it difficult to generalize results.
Source: Tate, Brianna N., Gary P. Van Guilder, Marwa Aly, Lisa A. Spence, M. Elena Diaz-Rubio, Henry H. Le, Elizabeth L. Johnson, Joseph W. McFadden, and Cydne A. Perry. “Changes in Choline Metabolites and Ceramides in Response to a DASH-Style Diet in Older Adults.” Nutrients 15, no. 17 (2023): 3687.
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Posted September 25, 2023.
Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.
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