Page 78 - CIBEROBN-2015-eng

Research Groups
Grupo de Nutrition, Lípidos y Riesgo Cardiovascular
Programme: Nutrition
Lead Researcher: Ros Rahola, Emilio
Group Members
STAFF MEMBERS: Cofan Pujol, Monserrat | Sala Vila, Aleix.
ASSOCIATED MEMBERS: Alegret Jordà, Marta | Laguna Egea, Juan Carlos | Merlos Roca, Manuel | Núñez Lucas, Isabel | Ortega Martínez de Victoria, Emilio | Pérez Heras, Ana Ma | Roglans Ribas, Nuria | Sánchez Pe- ñarroya, Rosa Ma.
Main lines of research
• Study of variants in genes of lipid metabolism that might illustrate the etiology of familial and polygenic hypercholesterolemia and severe hypertriglyceride- mia.
• Carotid and femoral ultrasound examination, in par- ticular. a) examination of the associations between preclinical atherosclerosis and classical and emer- gent risk factors and dietary biomarkers, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma lipid fractions and circulating phytosterols; b) preclinical atheroscle- rosis in the pre-diabetic stage compared with a mat- ched control population, and its temporal evolution.
• Functionality of whole foods and dietary patterns: effects on the serum lipoprotein profile, blood pressu- re as assessed by 24-h ambulatory monitoring, insu- lin resistance, markers of cholesterol absorption and synthesis and vascular risk, and dietary biomarkers (blood polyunsaturated fatty acids, plasma carotenes and vitamin E, and urinary polyphenols).
• Specific projects within the PREDIMED study, for which the Group directed the nutritional intervention. The main projects deal with the effects of PREDIMED diets on: a) age-related cognitive decline alter inter- vention for 4 y in a subgroup of 450 participants; b)
5-y incidence of dementia in the whole cohort; c) con- sumption of alpha-linolenic acid and mortality in the whole cohort; d) fructose intake and mortality in the whole cohort; e) changes in carotid plaque by ultra- sound and MRI after intervention for 2 y in an sub- group of 150 participants.
• Randomized controlled trial WAHA (WAlnuts for Heal- thy Aging): effects of a diet enriched with walnuts (15% of energy) for 2 y in comparison with a control diet on age-related cognitive decline and macular de- generation in 700 older persons. Other outcomes are 2-y changes in: brain structure and function by MRI, carotid atherosclerosis, body composition corporal, bone mineral density, 24-h ambulatory blood pressu- re, lipid profile and circulating inflammation markers, leukocyte telomere length, and miRNAs related to li- pid metabolism.
• Cognitive function evaluated by neuropsychological tests and functional brain MRI in familial hypercho- lesterolemia compared to moderate hypercholestero- lemia and normolipidemia.
• Cholesterol absorption and synthesis as assessed by determination of plasma non-cholesterol sterols by gas chromatography: quantification, genetic determi-
78 I Annual report 2015 I CIBEROBN