Brussels chicory and exercise effects on HDL in overweight students
What it found
In overweight male college students, 8 weeks of Brussels chicory supplementation modestly improved a measure of HDL function and shifted HDL particle types, and adding exercise did not change these effects.
The study was in people.
What they found
Studies in people
HDL function improved
All three Brussels chicory groups had higher HDL cholesterol efflux capacity from macrophages than the control group at week 8, by 1.18% to 1.78%. There were no significant differences among the three intervention groups.
HDL particle shifts
Compared with control, the three Brussels chicory groups had lower pre-β-HDL and HDL3 and higher HDL2 at week 8. No significant differences were seen among the intervention groups.
Blood lipids unchanged
There were no significant differences between any intervention group and control for total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, or apolipoprotein A-I.
Enzymes unchanged
Plasma LCAT and CETP activities did not differ significantly among the groups.
Correlations with HDL2
In the Brussels chicory groups, changes in HDL cholesterol efflux capacity were positively correlated with changes in HDL2. Weak negative correlations were seen for pre-β-HDL and HDL3, but these did not reach statistical significance.
Weight and body fat
The groups with exercise (Cho-CT and Cho-MeCT) had significant reductions in body weight and body fat percentage compared with the non-exercise groups at some time points. Mediation analysis showed that body weight change did not significantly mediate the improvement in HDL cholesterol efflux capacity.
What the authors conclude
“In overweight adults, sustained Brussels chicory supplementation, either alone or combined with concurrent exercise training, may yield comparable favorable changes in HDL-CEC from macrophages and HDL subclass profiles, though effect magnitudes appear modest in this pilot trial.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that dietary Brussels chicory supplementation for 8 weeks modestly increases HDL cholesterol efflux capacity from macrophages and remodels HDL subclass profiles, with less pre-β-HDL and HDL3 and more HDL2.
- They state that these effects could not be further affected by co-treatment with concurrent training.
- They suggest that dietary supplementation of Brussels chicory with or without concurrent exercise might be a promising approach for increasing HDL function in young adults with overweight.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see if Brussels chicory, alone or with exercise, could improve HDL function and HDL subclass profiles in overweight adults, since few studies have tested such combinations.
They ran an 8-week randomized controlled trial in 97 overweight male college students, assigned to one of four groups: control, Brussels chicory, Brussels chicory plus supervised concurrent exercise, or Brussels chicory plus mindfulness-enhanced concurrent exercise. 93 participants completed the study.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was in young overweight male college students from one university, so the results may not apply to women, older adults, or other groups.
- The trial cannot show whether the changes in HDL function or particle types reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- The study cannot confirm cause and effect between HDL cholesterol efflux capacity and HDL subclass changes, or between protocatechuic acid and the effects.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China; Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China; the Higher Education Teaching Reform Project of Guangdong Province in China; the Teaching Quality Engineering Project of Sun Yat-sen University; Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declared no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Sun Yat-sen University, China
The paper
- Title
- Effects of Brussels Chicory and Concurrent Exercise Training on HDL Function and Subclass Profiles in Overweight College Students: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Qu P, Zhu T, Chen G, et al (2026). Effects of Brussels Chicory and Concurrent Exercise Training on HDL Function and Subclass Profiles in Overweight College Students: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu18162678Free full textPubMed 42654258DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error