Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Researchers did observe a significant difference in AUC of ApoB levels at 2-4h (P= 0.004) and 0-4h (P= 0.011) following the high fat formula consumption at week 4 compared to baseline.
Apolipoproteins are essential building blocks of lipids such as LDL and triglycerides, which are both important in arterial health and play a role in atherosclerosis1,2. Korean pine or Pinus koraiensis, contains a host of flavonoids and phenolic acids known for their anti-inflammatory properties3,4. Authors of this study believed that since the extract of the Korean pine needles possessed these bioactive components, it was worth investigating whether the extract from Korean pine could improve postprandial hyperlipidemia5.
This investigative study was designed as a parallel, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted at a hospital in South Korea. Eligible participants were healthy individuals 20 years or older with triglycerides <200mg/dL. Individuals with chronic a disease; those who were pregnant; individuals with allergic conditions, with high alcohol consumption, over or underweight, vegetarians, and those with sensitivity to ingredients in the test or placebo capsules were excluded. Participants were recruited with notices and ads posted in public transit. Eligible participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 1000mg encapsulated Korean pine needle extract or placebo daily for 4weeks. At week 0 and week 4, participants were required to consume a high fat formula containing 60g of palm oil, 83.5g of dextrose, 20g of a protein powder (Protifar®) and 320 mL of water with their assigned protocol. Researchers then took blood samples from each participant before consumption and at 2, 4 and 6 hours after consumption of the high fat formula. Samples were used to measure triglyceride and ApoB100 levels. Researchers also utilized machine learning algorithms with the data collected to determine if there were any specific baseline characteristics associated with individuals who responded to the treatment.
Seventy eligible participants were randomly assigned to either the placebo or treatment group. The average age of participants was 45.9 ±1.7 and 40.8 ±2.1 years old in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the treatment and placebo groups at baseline. Researchers saw no significant differences in triglycerides and ApoB100 levels nor AUC of triglycerides between the treatment and placebo group at week 0 or week 4. Researchers did observe a significant difference in AUC of ApoB levels at 2-4h (P= 0.004) and 0-4h (P= 0.011) following the high fat formula consumption at week 4 compared to baseline. Utilizing qualitative interaction tree analysis (a machine learning model) with a focus on baseline weight and caloric intake, researchers found that individuals weighing >61.35kg assigned the pine leaf extract had a significant decrease in the AUC of ApoB between 2-4h compared to placebo (P= 0.006). However, individuals ≤61.35kg in the treatment group had no significant changes in AUC of ApoB. Furthermore, individuals with daily caloric intake >1276.5kcal saw a significant decrease in AUC of ApoB between 0-4h compared to placebo (P= 0.012). However, individuals consuming ≤1276.5kcal in the treatment group had no significant changes in AUC of ApoB.
Overall, this investigative trial showed a significant change in the concentration of ApoB over 0-4 hours after consuming Korean pine needle extract capsules specifically in participants with high daily caloric intake and those with a higher body weight. Additional studies will be needed to verify these results.
Source: Park, Soo-yeon, Tae gwon Park, Kwanyong Choi, Kyeong Jin Kim, and Ji Yeon Kim. “The Impact of Pinus koraiensis Leaf Extract Consumption on Postprandial ApoB100 and Lipid Metabolism: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Healthy Participants Subjected to an Oral High-Fat Challenge.” Nutrients 16, no. 17 (2024): 2864.
© 2024 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 October 24, 2024.
Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.
References:
- Lee CK, Liao CW, Meng SW, Wu WK, Chiang JY, Wu MS. Lipids and Lipoproteins in Health and Disease: Focus on Targeting Atherosclerosis. Biomedicines. Aug 9 2021;9(8)doi:10.3390/biomedicines9080985
- Mehta A, Shapiro MD. Apolipoproteins in vascular biology and atherosclerotic disease. Nat Rev Cardiol. Mar 2022;19(3):168-179. doi:10.1038/s41569-021-00613-5
- Maimoona A, Naeem I, Saddiqe Z, Ali N, Ahmed G, Shah I. Analysis of total flavonoids and phenolics in different fractions of bark and needle extracts of Pinus roxburghii and Pinus wallichiana. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. 2011;5(13):2724-2728.
- Stevanovic T, Diouf PN, Garcia-Perez ME. Bioactive polyphenols from healthy diets and forest biomass. Current Nutrition & Food Science. 2009;5(4):264-295.
- Park SY, Park TG, Choi K, Kim KJ, Kim JY. The Impact of Pinus koraiensis Leaf Extract Consumption on Postprandial ApoB100 and Lipid Metabolism: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Healthy Participants Subjected to an Oral High-Fat Challenge. Nutrients. Aug 27 2024;16(17)doi:10.3390/nu16172864
