Human fatty acid synthesis is reduced after the substitution of dietary starch for sugar

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition 1998-04, Vol.67 (4), p.631-639
• Main Authors: Hudgins, LC, Seidman, CE, Diakun, J, Hirsch, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ACIDE GRAS; ACIDOS GRASOS; ADIPOSE TISSUES; Adult; ALMIDON; AMIDON; AZUCAR EN SANGRE; AZUCARES; Biological and medical sciences; BIOSINTESIS; BIOSYNTHESE; BIOSYNTHESIS; Blood Glucose - metabolism; BLOOD SERUM; BLOOD SUGAR; Carbohydrates; CHOLESTEROL; COLESTEROL; COMPARISONS; DIET; DIETA; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Dietary Fiber - administration & dosage; DIETARY FIBRES; Dietary Sucrose - administration & dosage; ENERGIA; ENERGIE; ENERGY; ENERGY EXPENDITURE; Energy Intake; Energy Metabolism; EXPERIMENTACION; EXPERIMENTATION; FATTY ACIDS; Fatty Acids - biosynthesis; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; FEMME; FIBRA DE LA DIETA; FIBRE ALIMENTAIRE; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GLUCOSA; GLUCOSE; HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN; HOMBRES; HOMME; Humans; INSULIN; Insulin - blood; INSULINA; INSULINE; LIPID METABOLISM; LIPOPROTEINAS; LIPOPROTEINE; LIPOPROTEINS; Male; MEN; METABOLISME DES LIPIDES; METABOLISMO DE LIPIDOS; MUJERES; Oils & fats; POLIMEROS; POLYMERE; POLYMERS; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; SERUM SANGUIN; STARCH; Starch - administration & dosage; SUCRE DU SANG; SUCRES; SUERO SANGUINEO; Sugar; SUGARS; TEJIDO ADIPOSO; TISSU ADIPEUX; TRIGLICERIDOS; TRIGLYCERIDE; TRIGLYCERIDES; Triglycerides - blood; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; VERY LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN; WOMEN
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/67.4.631

Using new nonisotopic and isotopic methods, we showed previously that fatty acid synthesis was markedly stimulated in weight-stable normal volunteers by a very-low-fat formula diet with 10% of energy as fat and 75% as short glucose polymers. In this study, we determined whether fatty acid synthesis was equally stimulated by a very-low-fat solid diet made with foods consumed typically. Four normal volunteers consumed the same very-low-fat formula diet for 25 d and then an isoenergetic solid food diet with 10% of energy as fat and 75% as starch, simple sugars, and fiber for 25 d. To measure fatty acid synthesis, the fatty acid compositions of the diets were matched to the composition of each subject’s adipose tissue and compared with the composition of VLDL-triacylglycerol. In all subjects, the large increases in newly formed palmitate and decreases in linoleate in VLDL-triacylglycerol were quickly reversed by the solid food diet, and the fraction of de novo synthesized fatty acids in fasting VLDL-triacylglycerol decreased from 30–54% to 0–1%. In a second group of subjects, the stimulation of fatty acid synthesis by the formula diet with 75% glucose polymers was similarly reduced by a formula diet with amounts of fat, starch, and sugar chosen to mimic those of the solid food diet, but persisted after the addition of fiber or a diet with 75% sugar. In conclusion, an increase in fatty acid synthesis and palmitaterich, linoleate-poor VLDL-triacylglycerol induced by very-low-fat, high-sugar diets may be reduced by the substitution of dietary starch for sugar with potentially beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.