Comparable reduction in cholesterol absorption after two different ways of phytosterol administration in humans
European Journal of Nutrition, 08/17/2012

Amiot MJ et al. – Phytosterol esters (PE) either dispersed in fat during a meal or micro–dispersed in a liquid form after a meal resulted in a markedly reduced occurrence of meal–derived cholesterol in the circulation at a comparable extent.

• In a randomized, single–blinded crossover design, 12 healthy intubated volunteers tested three different liquid meal sequences with and without PE.
• The liquid meal (500 mL, Fortisip) contained an oral dose (80 mg) of deuterium–enriched cholesterol (D7C).
• The intubation was stopped at 240 min, and the fate of sterols was determined in the different phases of duodenal content samples as function of time.
• A second solid fat–containing meal without sterols was consumed at 270 min.
• D7C was quantified in chylomicrons and plasma for 8 h.
• The conditions tested were as follows:
• No PE added (control),
• PE in a spread added into a liquid meal (PE–spread meal),
• And PE given 30 min after a liquid meal as 100–g yoghurt drink (PE–minidrink meal).

• Addition of PE decreased the incorporation of cholesterol into the duodenum aqueous phase including micelles.
• PE added as a spread or as a minidrink significantly and comparably lowered meal cholesterol occurrence in chylomicrons (–40 % for PE–spread and –54 % for PE–minidrink, p < 0.0001) compared with the control meal.