1: Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Feb;73(2 Suppl):456S-458S. 

Effects of fructans-type prebiotics on lipid metabolism.

Delzenne NM, Kok N.

UCL-Universite catholique de Louvain, School of Pharmacy, Brussels.
delzenne@pmnt.ucl.ac.be

Several nondigestible but fermentable dietary carbohydrates are able to regulate
lipemia and triglyceridemia in both humans and animals. The mechanism of their
serum lipid-lowering effect remains to be elucidated. Oligofructose, which is a
mixture of nondigestible and fermentable fructans, can decrease triacylglycerol
in VLDL when given to rats. The triacylglycerol-lowering action of oligofructose
is due to a reduction of de novo fatty acid synthesis in the liver through
inhibition of all lipogenic enzymes, namely acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2),
fatty acid synthase, malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40), ATP citrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.8),
and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49). Our results suggest that
oligofructose decreases lipogenic enzyme gene expression. Postprandial insulin
and glucose concentrations are low in the serum of oligofructose-fed animals and
this could explain, at least partially, the metabolic effect of oligofructose.
Moreover, some events occurring in the gastrointestinal tract after
oligofructose feeding could be involved in the antilipogenic effect of this
fructan: the production of propionate through fermentation, a modulation of the
intestinal production of incretins (namely glucose-dependent insulinotropic
peptide and glucagon-like peptide-1), or the modification of the availability of
digestible carbohydrates. Recent studies showed that the hypotriglyceridemic
effect of fructans also occurs in humans.

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PMID: 11157357 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]