Effects of diets rich in ghee or olive oil on cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy adults: a two-period, crossover, randomised trial

This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular health-related effects of consuming ghee in the usual diet. Thirty healthy men and women were studied in a free-living outpatient regimen. The participants were instructed for the isoenergetic inclusion of ghee or olive oil in their diets for 4 weeks using a randomised crossover design. At the end of run-in (baseline), 2-week wash-out and interventions, fasting blood samples were drawn. In addition, 2-h postprandial blood samples were collected after ingestion of a meal containing olive oil or ghee at week 4 of each dietary intervention. Body weight was not different between the two interventions. Compared with the olive oil, the diet with ghee increased fasting plasma apo-B (apo B) (0 center dot 09, 95 % CI 0 center dot 02, 0 center dot 17 g/l, P = 0 center dot 018), non-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL-cholesterol) (0 center dot 53, 95 % CI 0 center dot 01, 1 center dot 05 mmol/l, P = 0 center dot 046) and LDL-cholesterol did not differ significantly between diet groups (0 center dot 29, 95 % CI -0 center dot 05, 0 center dot 63 mmol/l, P = 0 center dot 092), but had no significant effect on total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio (0 center dot 75, 95 % CI - 0 center dot 24 to 1 center dot 74 mmol/l, P = 0 center dot 118). No significant difference was observed in fasting as well as 2-h postprandial plasma TAG, glucose, insulin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 concentrations. This study showed that ghee that is predominantly saturated fats had an increasing effect on plasma apo B and non-HDL-cholesterol compared with olive oil, adding further evidence to the existing recommendations to replace dietary fats high in SFA with dietary fats high in unsaturated fats to reduce CVD risk.