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Background & Objective: Hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor for atherosclerosis that responded variably to dietary modification of fat and cholesterol. Previous studies in humans have shown that ingestion of lecithin can alter plasma cholesterol and triglyceride but results were different. The current study was designed to investigate the hypocholesterolemic properties of lecithin on patient with hypercholesterolemia. Materials & Methods: Sixty one subjects (27 Male, 34 Female) with mean ages 44±14 years old with hypercholesterolemia, was admitted to Mottahari Health Center(Shiraz), randomly assigned to the case (n=31) and control (n=30) groups. Case group received three lecithin capsules (1200 mg) which contain 420 mg Phosphatidylecoline, daily for six weeks. Subject's weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and serum lipid concentration were measured at the beginning and the end of six weeks. Results: No significant difference were found in mean weight in case group when compared to control group. Also no significant difference were found in mean BMI in case group when compared to control group. Significantly lower mean serum Total Cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride and significantly higher HDL cholesterol were found in case group. In addition mean serum total cholesterol (P<0.05), LDL cholesterol (P<0.05) and TG (P<0.05) decreased and mean serum HDL-Cholesterol (P<0.05) increases significantly in case group vs. control group. Conclusion: This study showed that lecithin could be considered as effective nutrient useful in dietary treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

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Atherosclerosis which is the result of cholesterol deposit in coronary arteries is the main cause of morbidity and mortality, worldwide. Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is a process that causes efflux of excess cholesterol in vessels layers and reduces the risk of atherosclerosis. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding cassette transporters G5 and G8 (ABCG5 and ABCG8) are two membrane cholesterol transporters in hepatocytes and enterocytes that transport cholesterol into the bile and feces. Considering importance of ABCG5 and ABCG8 in RCT and prevention and treatment of coronary atherosclerosis, the aim of this review article was to study the ABCG5 and ABCG8 functions, the role of them in heart stroke prevention and the effects of exercise trainings on genes expression of these two substances. Atherosclerosis, exercise, physical activity, RCT, ABCG5 and ABCG8 were used keywords for searching of related articles between years 1990 to 2018 in google scholar, PubMed, Elsevier, Scopus, SID, science direct and ProQuest databases. 294 articles were found and after precise reading of them, 84 articles were selected for this review article. Overall, considering role of transcription factors LXR/RXR are responsible for regulation of genes involved in cholesterol efflux (ABCA1, ABCG1), cholesterol transport (lipoprotein lipase, CETP), cholesterol transformation to bile acids (CYP7A) and metabolism and excretion of cholesterol into bile or gut lumen, stimulation of them induces elevation of ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes expression. The effect of exercise on these factors is a novel subject that may increase our knowledge to prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

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Selenium is an essential mineral found naturally in soil, water, and some foods. Today, selenium, as an antioxidant, is one of the vital elements in the human body. Although the human body needs a small amount of selenium daily, recent studies have shown that the same small amount of selenium is essential for maintaining healthy body function. It is challenging to choose the right dose of selenium. According to several studies in this present review, a daily supplement of 31.5-200 micrograms seems beneficial since the amount of selenium in various diseases is less than the amount in healthy people. The articles published in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and SCOPUS databases were screened and collected based on the keywords including selenium, oxidant, antioxidant, diabetes, cancer, toxicity, heart disease and liver disease. These keywords were chosen because of the antioxidant role of selenium as well as the prominent role of oxidation in the progression of these diseases. 150 articles published over a period of 20 years from 2000 to 2020 were used in this study. Articles about nano-seleniums, non-dietary supplements, and diseases caused by the underlying disease of metabolic syndrome were excluded and finally 121 articles were included in the study. A limited number of studies show that patients with multiple disorders may need to take higher doses of selenium (82.4 to 200 micrograms) than healthy people. In this study, selenium's antioxidant role in chronic metabolic disorders, including hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, and some cancers, were investigated. Also, the clinical significance of selenium deficiency in metabolic diseases, as well as clinical and experimental observations on the effect of selenium dietary supplements in the treatment of chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis, and cancers, are briefly mentioned. Besides, the recommended toxicity and dose of selenium have been discussed.