American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 60, 1037S-1042S, Copyright © 1994 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Effects of a milk chocolate bar per day substituted for a high- carbohydrate snack in young men on an NCEP/AHA Step 1 Diet

PM Kris-Etherton, JA Derr, VA Mustad, FH Seligson and TA Pearson
Department of Nutrition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802.

This study compares the plasma cholesterol response with the isoenergetic substitution of a milk chocolate bar (46 g) given daily for a high-carbohydrate snack in healthy young men on a Step 1 Diet. Normocholesterolemic men (n = 42) were fed a Step 1 Diet for 21 d (run- in diet) followed by a 27-d experimental period during which they consumed the same diet plus either a milk chocolate bar or a high- carbohydrate snack; after this they consumed the run-in diet for 21 d followed by the other snack for 27 d. When subjects consumed a milk chocolate bar instead of the high-carbohydrate snack, high-density- lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was 0.08 +/- 0.03 mmol/L higher (P < 0.01) and plasma triglycerides were 0.06 +/- 0.03 mmol/L lower (P < 0.05). Substitution of a milk chocolate bar for a high-carbohydrate snack did not adversely affect the low-density-lipoprotein-(LDL) cholesterol response to a Step 1 Diet despite an increase in total fat and saturated fatty acid content of the diet. This response may be due to stearic acid.