4. Discussion
cardiometabolic diseases, reduction in blood pressure, TG, weight reduction
CVD, OBESE, INSULIN SENSITIVITY
Changes in dietary habits, such as reducing total energy intake, limiting the consumption of fat- and carbohydrate-rich foods and increasing the consumption of plant-based foods such as vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts, along with an active lifestyle and regular exercise, are considered the most effective strategies to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity and to prevent their associated comorbidities [According to the present data obtained from 72 h questionnaires, the intake of energy and nutrients did not change during the intervention (Strong scientific evidence supports that regular BG consumption improves health by maintaining normal blood cholesterol and glucose levels, as demonstrated by the positive opinions issued by the EFSA [Changes in VLDL-C were observed in a randomised clinical trial conducted by Reyna-Villasmil et al. [In a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 58 randomised clinical trials (Another important factor affecting the potential outcomes of an intervention with oats/oat BG is their intake in conjunction with a calorie-restricted diet, which proved to be more effective [Other studies also showed discrepancies in the effect of BG in improving the lipid profile or glucose homeostasis. In a parallel, controlled, 12-week study carried out by Adamsson et al. [Similar to that described for blood lipids, the effect of BG on glucose homeostasis also shows contradictory results. A recent systematic review on the influence of oat intake on CVD risk markers did not find convincing evidence of oats’ influence on insulin sensitivity since no studies described any significant effects on insulin sensitivity after long-term oat consumption [As for hydroxycinnamates in the decaffeinated green coffee phenolic extract, the literature also shows controversial results on their effects in regulating blood lipids and glucose homeostasis. Thus, in a randomised, crossover, controlled study carried out in 25 normocholesterolaemic and 27 hypercholesterolaemic subjects, the consumption of 6 g/day of a soluble green/roasted (35:65) coffee blend (containing 74.2 mg/g of total hydroxycinnamic acids and 20.2 mg/g of total methylxanthines) for 8 weeks statistically reduced blood levels of TC, LDL-C, VLDL-C and TG in the hypercholesterolaemic group compared to the control drink [Furthermore, Pourmasoumi et al. [Importantly, as with BG [In relation to other cardiovascular biomarkers, we found a significant difference in the rate of change in DBP between food supplements, with a higher reduction in blood pressure levels with the BG supplement compared to GCP. This result is in agreement with previous studies, especially with a recent systematic review and meta-analysis that observed significant reductions in DBP after supplementation with oats rich in BG [The concept of creating a food supplement that combines BG and GCP emerged from the idea that these compounds could exert complementary or synergistic actions, taking into account that polyphenols and SDF have different mechanisms of action (reviewed in [Although not in humans, a recent study addressed the potential synergistic effect of a combination of oat phenolic compounds (OPCs), comprising mainly hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids, and oat BG (OBG) in mice fed a high-fat diet [As mentioned, there are important factors that might account for the lack of significant effects on the different biomarkers assayed in the present study. Firstly, the biological activity of BG and hydroxycinnamate supplements highly depends on the source of the bioactive compounds and the extraction and purification methods used to obtain them [Finally, it is important to highlight that the study design did not contemplate any lifestyle interventions, so volunteers were not under a dietary caloric restriction or increased physical activity regime. These are the main recommendations for weight reduction and the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, and therefore, the rationale of a study that did not contemplate this approach might be considered inadequate. However, the lack of long-term adherence of obese subjects to these lifestyle changes prompted us to assess the potential effectiveness of consuming a dietary supplement without modifications in energy intake and expenditure. It would be certainly of interest to assess the potential effects of the studied nutraceuticals as adjuvants to healthy lifestyle modifications.