Intestinal absorption of beta-carotene ingested with a meal rich in sunflower oil or beef tallow: postprandial appearance in triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins in women

Background: Evidence indicates that different types of fat have different e ffects on the postprandial plasma triacylglycerol response. Therefore, the type of fat may influence the appearance of beta-carotene in postprandial t riacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins, which is used as an indicator of intestin al beta-carotene absorption. Objective: We compared in female subjects the appearance of beta-carotene i n plasma triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins after beta-carotene was ingested with a meal containing sunflower oil or beef tallow. Design: Women (n = 11) each ingested 2 different vitamin A-free, fat-rich m eals that were supplemented with beta-carotene (47 mu mol) and contained eq uivalent amounts (60 g) of sunflower oil or beef tallow. Blood samples were collected hourly from 0 to 10 h; additional samples were collected at sele cted intervals until 528 h. In a subgroup of the women (n = 7), plasma chyl omicrons and 3 subfractions of VLDLs were separated by cumulative rate ultr acentrifugation. Results: The appearance of beta-carotene in chylomicrons and in each VLDL s ubfraction was lower after ingestion with the meal containing sunflower oil than after ingestion with the meal containing beef tallow (P < 0.03). In c hylomicrons, the area under the concentration-versus-time curve (AUC) for b eta-carotene was 38.1 +/- 13.6% lower (P < 0.03); in contrast, the AUC for triacylglycerol was higher (P < 0.05) after the sunflower-oil-rich meal tha n after the beef-tallow-rich meal. Conclusions: Ingestion of beta-carotene with a meal rich in sunflower oil a s compared with a meal rich in beef tallow results in lower appearance of b eta-carotene and greater appearance of triacylglycerol in triacylglycerol-r ich lipoproteins.