Intake of partially defatted Brazil nut flour reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients- a randomized controlled trial

Table 4 Thyroid hormones, blood pressure and serum lipoproteins at baseline and after the 90-day trial

Variables	Brazil nut (n = 35) Δ T₉₀ – T₀	Placebo (n = 42) Δ T₉₀ – T₀	P value intragroup^a	P value intragroup^b	P value intergroup^c
FT₃ (pg/mL)	0.1 ± 1.1	−0.1 ± 0.4	NS	0.030*	NS
FT₄ (ng/dL)	0.1 ± 0.6	−0.1 ± 0.1	NS	NS	NS
TSH (μUI/mL)	0.2 ± 1.8	−0.2 ± 0.9	NS	NS	0.06
SBP (mmHg)	3.5 ± 18.0	−4.0 ± 30.7	NS	NS	NS
DBP (mmHg)	−1.5 ± 13.6	−5.0 ± 15.2	NS	0.020*	NS
Total cholesterol (mg/dL)	−20.5 ± 61.2	−7.4 ± 44.5	0.020*	NS	NS
LDL-cholesterol (mg/dL)	−6.4 ± 57.9	−6.5 ± 39.5	NS	NS	NS
HDL-cholesterol (mg/dL)	−1.0 ± 5.0	0.8 ± 7.1	NS	NS	NS
Triglycerides (mg/dL)	−49.6 ± 198.2	−0.05 ± 104.1	NS	NS	NS
Non-HDL cholesterol (mg/dL)	−19.5 ± 61.2	−8.2 ± 44.5	0.020*	NS	NS
Apolipoprotein A-1 (mg/dL)	−10.2 ± 26.7	−7.9 ± 27.8	0.040*	NS	NS
Apolipoprotein B (mg/dL)	−5.2 ± 25.9	−5.0 ± 23.4	NS	NS	NS
ApoB/ApoA-1 ratio	0.02 ± 0.2	−0.06 ± 0.3	NS	NS	NS
Lp(a) (mg/dl)	−0.5 ± 23.7	5.9 ± 18.0	NS	0.02*	NS

Mean ± SD. FT₃, free triiodothyronine; FT₄, free thyroxine; TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure, ApoB, apolipoprotein B; ApoA-1, apolipoprotein A-1; Lp(a), lipoprotein (a)
^a Statistical differences in Brazil nut group compared to baseline
^b Statistical difference in placebo group compared to baseline
^c Statistical differences between group compared at T₉₀
* Significant differences were assumed at P < 0.05
For normally distributed variables (FT₃ and FT₄), we used a Student’s t test for independent samples and a paired-samples t test to investigate the differences within and between groups, respectively. For non-normally-distributed variables, we used a Mann–Whitney U test and a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test to assess the differences within and between groups, respectively

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