AMLA (EMBLICA OFFICINALIS) AND GUAVA (PSIDIUM GUAJAVA) SUPPLEMENTATION: IMPACT OF LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT LOCAL SEASONAL FRUITS ON LIPEMIC STATUS OF MORNING WALKERSUma Iyer, Avani Shah and Shonima VenugopalAbstract Dyslipidemia, a major risk factor of atherosclerosis is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Local seasonal vitamin C rich fruits Amla and Guava are purported to have hypolipidemic properties. Consumption of seasonal fruits is associated with large reductions in environmental impacts. The investigation was carried out to study the impact of supplementation of Amla and Guava on lipid metabolism of morning walkers. A total of 46 morning walkers were enrolled and divided into four groups: Amla group (N=13), Guava group (N=15), combination (Amla + Guava) group (N=10) and control group (N=8). Daily, Amla group and Guava group subjects received one Amla (approximately 35g) and one Guava (approximately 60g) for a period of 21 days respectively. The combination group received one Guava for 10 days followed by one Amla for a period of 11 days. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile levels were monitored at baseline and at 21 days. Only the Amla group showed a favourable impact on lipid profile with a significant reduction of 6.4%, 13.0% and 11.7% in the levels of total cholesterol (p<0.05), lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.01) and non high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.01). The results obtained suggest that vitamin C and bioactive component rich Amla holds promise to be used in complementary therapy for the management of dyslipidemia. |