Ten healthy, nonsmoking men and postmenopausal women age
50–70 y with a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5–29.9 kg/m2 were
recruited from the Boston area. Postmenopausal status in women
was defined as the absence of menses for P1 y. The exclusion criteria
used to screen for their eligibility included: presence of cardiovascular,
endocrine, gastrointestinal, and renal diseases; use
of estrogen, with or without progesterone; use of medications
known to affect lipid metabolism; use of medications known or
suspected to influence blood pressure (BP); gastrointestinal diseases
and conditions or medications influencing gastrointestinal
absorption; chronic kidney disease; endocrine disorders including
diabetes and untreated thyroid disease; rheumatologic disorders;
active treatment for cancer of any type (except basal cell carcinoma)
P1 y; regular use of oral steroids; systolic blood pressure
>150 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure >95 mmHg; regular
use of any dietary supplements within previous 30 d; usual daily
ethanol intake of P2 drinks; cigarette smoking and/or nicotine
replacement use; laboratory blood or urine biochemistries outside
of normal ranges; EKG abnormalities. The study design was
approved by the Institutional Review Board of Tufts University
Health Sciences Campus and Tufts Medical Center. All participants
signed a written informed consent agreement before participating.