Long-term effect of soluble-fiber foods on postprandial fat metabolism in dyslipidemic subjects with apo E3 and apo E4 genotypes

To determine the long-term effect of soluble fiber on postprandial fat metabolism, we studied 33 dyslipidemic subjects, 16 with apolipoprotein (apo) E3/3 (E3) and 17 with E3/4 or E4/4 (E4) genotypes. They ate preweighed low- fat (20% of energy), high-fiber (> 5.7 g/MJ) diets for two 4-mo periods separated by a 2-mo washout period according to a randomized, crossover design. One diet contained foods rich in insoluble fiber and the other foods rich in soluble fiber. On 1 d during the last 2 wk of each diet, subjects ingested a standard, fiber-free, fatty liquid meal containing retinyl palmitate as a marker of intestinally derived lipoproteins. Plasma samples were obtained at hourly intervals for 10 h. Compared with the insoluble- fiber diet, soluble fiber reduced fasting plasma total cholesterol in both E3 (6.6 ± 2.1%, p = 0.007) and E4 subjects (5.6 ± 2.1%, P = 0.017). Soluble fiber increased fecal total bile acid output in both E3 (76 ± 18%, P < 0.001) and E4 subjects (85 ± 19%, P < 0.001). The incremental area under the chylomicron triacylglycerol response curve was significantly greater after soluble fiber than after insoluble fiber in E3 (3.56 ± 0.56 compared with 2.87 ± 0.38 mmol · h/L, respectively, P = 0.046) but not in E4 subjects (5.19 ± 0.78 compared with 4.92 ± 0.81 mmol · h/L). Kinetic analysis suggested an increase in retinyl palmitate absorption in E3 subjects after soluble fiber, but no difference in E4 Subjects. These results suggest that a long-term increase in dietary soluble fiber has no effect on post-prandial fat metabolism in subjects with an ape E3/4 or E4/4 genotype. However, soluble fiber enhances apparent fat absorption in E3 subjects, which could be due to an increased bile acid pool and increased micelle formation.