Title : Potential strategy to improve dyslipidemia: combined intervention of health education and alfalfa powder in a randomized controlled trial
Abstract:
Background: Dyslipidemia represents a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease and stroke. In many researches, health education has been adopted alone as an intervention on improving dyslipidemia, which is believed to enhance individuals’ health awareness, promote healthier lifestyles, and consequently impact blood lipid profiles. Alfalfa powder contains natural plant components such as alfalfa saponins and flavonoids, which may potentially exert beneficial effects on dyslipidemia. However, the study of health education combined with alfalfa to improve dyslipidemia is still rare.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the improvement effect of combing health education with alfalfa powder on human blood lipid disorders, and to provide a convenient, safe, and effective comprehensive intervention program for regulating blood lipid levels.
Methods: This study adopted a randomized controlled trial design and randomly assigned 140 dyslipidemia patients into two groups, each consisting of 70 patients. The control group received routine health education, which included dietary and exercise guidance, while the experimental group consumed 15g of alfalfa powder per day, in addition to receiving health education, for a continuous duration of 24 weeks. Prior to and after the experiment, the dietary conditions of the two groups were collected through questionnaires. Furthermore, measurements of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were conducted for each group. Data analysis was performed using R, with statistical significance set at P<0.05.
Results: Comparing the pre- and post-intervention measures, alterations in blood lipid indicators were observed in both groups. Specifically, the experimental group exhibited a significant reduction in TC and LDL-C (p<0.05), while the control group demonstrated a declining trend in TC. Additionally, compared with the control group, the experimental group showed a significantly greater decrease in TC, TG, and LDL-C, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Health education is an effective intervention approach that can assist patients in regulating their blood lipid levels. Combining health education with alfalfa powder as an intervention strategy yields superior outcomes, significantly improving the levels of total cholesterol, total triglycerides, and LDL-C in subjects.
Keywords: Dyslipidemia, Health education, Alfalfa powder
Audience Take Away Notes:
- The significance of implementing combined interventions improve blood lipid indicators
- The challenges involved in improving blood lipid levels through health education, including the development of appropriate dietary plans and exercise guidance
- The role of alfalfa powder in improving human blood lipid levels
- This research holds potential benefits for professionals working in the field of public health, particularly in the domain of nutrition. The combination of health education and nutrition interventions can yield greater advantages for individuals with dyslipidemia. Additionally, this study offers valuable references for other researchers seeking to devise intervention strategies aimed at improving blood lipid profiles. It emphasizes the importance of including well-designed dietary plans, exercise plans, and corresponding scales within health education programs. Furthermore, the study sheds light on the impact of alfalfa powder in improving blood lipids, thereby providing scientific evidence to support further nutritional interventions
