OBJECTIVE:

To examine the effect on plasma triglycerides of removing most of the extrinsic sugar from the diet of free living hypertriglyceridaemic individuals while controlling weight loss.

DESIGN:

Free living subjects were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group undertook to consume a "sugar free' diet for six months after a three month baseline period. The control group maintained their usual diets for the nine month period. The results from the two groups were compared using repeated measures ANOVA.

SUBJECTS:

Thirty two hypertriglyceridaemic individuals, selected from members of the public in Dunedin, New Zealand.

RESULTS:

Subjects in the intervention group were able to achieve a mean reduction in sucrose intake of > 70%, largely extrinsic sucrose, resulting in a group mean reduction in plasma triglyceride levels of > 20% and a mean weight loss over the six month period of about 2%. Repeated measures ANOVA on the mean triglyceride figures after the individual figures had been adjusted for this small weight loss, showed that there was a significant fall in triglyceride levels over the study period compared with the baseline.

CONCLUSIONS:

Hypertriglyceridaemia can be reduced in some individuals by the reduction of extrinsic sucrose in the diet. When allowance is made for weight loss the reduction is still significant.