PLASMA-LIPOPROTEINS AND APOLIPOPROTEIN-B AND APOLIPOPROTEIN-E IN RATSFED A HIGH-FIBER FRUCTOSE-BASED DIET

This study was conducted as an attempt to provide additional informati ons on the effects of high-fiber diets on plasma lipoprotein metabolis m. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were fed control or sugar-beet f iber diets for 3 weeks. High-fiber-diet-fed rats presented lower plasm a triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations than fiber-free-diet-fed animals. The lipid-lowering effect of dietary fiber is associated wit h a decrease of triglycerides in all lipoprotein fractions and with a decrease of cholesterol in very low density lipoproteins and high dens ity lipoproteins. Very low density lipoproteins isolated from fiber-fe d animals contained significantly fewer triglycerides and more protein s compared with fiber-free-diet-fed rats. Mean size of very very low d ensity lipoprotein particles was smaller in fiber-fed rats compared wi th control rats. Plasma apolipoprotein B concentration did not differ significantly between both groups studied, but fiber feeding decreased plasma apolipoprotein E concentration. Similar levels of apolipoprote in B and of apolipoprotein E mRNAs were found in the livers in these t wo groups. In short, this work provides and unequivocal demonstration of lipid-lowering effect of a sugar-beet diet, which is associated wit h marked modifications in lipoprotein distribution and characteristics .