The Long-Term Effects of Dietary Sucrose Polyester on African Green Monkeys 1

Abstract

Abstract

Sucrose polyester (SPE) is a nonabsorbable fat which has been shown to lower plasma cholesterol concentrations when incorporated into the diet of human volunteers. This study was designed to assess the long-term (15 months) effect of oral administration of SPE on plasma cholesterol concentrations, body weights, and health of African green monkeys, a species similar to man in its lipid metabolism. All animals were fed for 2 months a high-cholesterol-containing diet to induce hypercholesterolemia. To simulate therapeutic intervention, dietary cholesterol was then decreased substantially and the effects of high or low (40 or 25%) fat content and presence or absence of SPE in the diet (as about 10% of diet) were assessed. There were four groups of animals: Group I (low fat-no SPE), Group II (high fat-no SPE), Group III (low fat-SPE), and Group IV (high fat-SPE). SPE administration resulted in 36% (high fat-SPE) and 40% (low fat-SPE) reductions in mean plasma cholesterol concentrations compared to 23% (high fat-no SPE) and 19% (low fat-no SPE) mean reductions in groups not fed SPE. The effect of SPE was statistically significant (P < 0.003). The effect of SPE was maximal in those animals with a high or intermediate plasma cholesterol response to dietary cholesterol and minimal or nonexistent in animals with a low plasma cholesterol response to dietary cholesterol. No significant differences between groups could be detected in body weight gain or in animal health as determined by the frequency of clinical illness and serial clinicopathologic observations.