(P01-075-20) Dose-Response Effects of Strawberries on Atherogenic Lipoproteins: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial

Objectives: Previous research indicates that consumption of strawberries may provide benefits for reduction of atherogenic lipoproteins but has not identified an optimal dose. Our objective was to evaluate effects of 2 doses of strawberry powder, approximately equivalent to 1 and 3 servings of strawberries per day, on serum lipoprotein concentrations.

Methods: Middle-aged adults (n = 40, age 49 ± 1 year) with elevated LDL-C (140 ± 4 mg/dL) and elevated BMI (29.4 ± 0.4 kg/m²) consumed 0 g/d (control), 13 g/d (low-dose), and 40 g/d (high-dose) of freeze-dried strawberry powder in a randomized crossover design (4-week supplementation periods separated by a 2 week compliance break). Fasting blood samples were obtained on two separate days (and averaged) at study-entry baseline and following each supplementation period.

Results: There were significant main effects of treatment (p ≤ 0.05) for calculated LDL-C, nonHDL-C, and total cholesterol (TC). In post hoc tests, the low-dose resulted in 5% lower LDL-C vs. the high-dose (p = 0.01), 4% lower nonHDL-C vs. control (p = 0.04), and 3% lower TC for the low-dose vs. control and high-dose (p ≤ 0.04). Compared to baseline, low-dose strawberry supplementation also significantly reduced direct LDL-C (-6.8 mg/dL, p = 0.02), but there was not a main effect of treatment.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that low-dose supplementation with freeze dried strawberry powder, roughly equivalent to one serving of strawberries per day, was superior to high-dose supplementation for improving atherogenic lipoproteins in overweight adults.

Funding Sources: California Strawberry Commission