The substitution of sucrose polyester for dietary fat in obese, hypercholesterolemic outpatients

Abstract

Our aim was to determine the effects of the substitution of sucrose polyester (SPE) for dietary fat in a 16-week outpatient study in 36 obese subjects with primary hypercholesterolemia. The subjects were randomized into three groups who followed a 16-week treatment period where all subjects received hypocaloric diets which provided approximately 7 kcal/lb body weight, a polyunsaturate/saturated (P/S) fat ratio of 0.9, and 180 mg cholesterol/day. The percentages of calories as fat in the 3 groups were as follows: a low fat diet group (n = 12) received 27% of dietary calories as fat, a low fat plus SPE group (n = 13) received 25% of calories as fat plus 27 g SPE/day as a bread spread and salad dressing, and a third group (placebo, n = 11) received 37% of calories as fat with a 27 g/day conventional fat placebo (bread spread and salad dressing). Mean weight loss from baseline in the 16 week treatment period was 2.6, 3.9, and 3.4% respectively in the placebo, diet, and SPE groups, p < .05 for each group, without significant differences between the groups. There was a mean reduction of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of 16% in the SPE group (p < .05), more than twice the reductions in the placebo and diet groups, 5% and 6%, respectively. There was a mean 20% reduction in the SPE group in triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p