The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of mayonnaise consumption upon the serum cholesterol level of the patients affected with hypertension and/or arteriosclerosis. Twenty female outpatients, their age ranging from 41-71 years volunteered in this study which lasted for 5 weeks, including a 1-week habitual diet period (Period I), a 2-week basal diet period (period II), and a 2-week mayonnaise period (Period III) during which the patients were encouraged to take as much mayonnaise as possible, besides the basal diet. During these periods the patients were asked to record their food intake in detail; 12 of whom designated as Group A accomplished this job. Other records were unsatisfactory and poor in reliability and were grouped as B. At the end of each period their serum cholesterol level were determined by the Watson procedure.
In Periods I, II and III, the average calorie intake expressed as Kcal of Group A was 1395, 1571 and 1841, the protein intake (as gm) was 53.3, 62.6, and 61.0, and the fat intake (as gm) 30.8, 42.7, 69.1, respectively. The mayonnaise consumption of Group A was 47.9±24.2gm/day.
The serum cholesterol level as mg/100ml in Group A declined from 284.1 in Period I to 264.2 in Period II, and further lowered to 230.6 in Period III. The fall of the serum cholesterol level of 7 patients with hypercholesteremia (above 250mg/100ml) from Period II to Period III and from Period I to Period III were both significant at the 1% level. The amount of mayonnaise consumed in Period III was highly correlated with the size of reduction in the cholesterol level from Period II to Period III. The serum cholesterol levels (mg/100ml) of Group B in Periods I, II and III were 249.7, 238.3 and 243.4 without showing as much variation from period to period as seen in Group A.
