Plant stanol ascorbate esters reduce body weight gain through decreased energy absorption in hamsters

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of disodium ascorbyl phytostanyl phosphate (DAPP), a novel hydrophilic phytostanol analogue, on energy homeostasis, including body weight and intestinal energy absorption, and plasma triglyceride concentrations, in hamsters. Methods: Male Golden Syrian hamsters (n = 50) were fed for 5 weeks with experimental diets varying in cholesterol and phytostanol content. Diets included (i) non-cholesterol (semipurified diet without added cholesterol), (ii) cholesterol-control (semipurified diet with 0.25% cholesterol), (iii) stanol (cholesterol-control with 1% free phytostanols), (iv) DAPP 0.7% (cholesterol-control with 0.71% DAPP) or ( v) DAPP 1.4% (cholesterol- control with 1.43% DAPP). Fecal samples were collected continuously for 3 days on week 3, and fecal energy output was measured by bomb calorimetry. Results: Hamsters fed 1.4% DAPP gained less (P < 0.05) weight than hamsters fed non-cholesterol and stanol diets. Diets had no effect on total food consumption or gross energy intake after 5 weeks, but lower (P < 0.05) weekly food consumptions in hamsters fed 1.4% DAPP were observed at weeks 1 and 2 of the experiment in comparison to animals fed the non-cholesterol diet. In comparison to non-cholesterol and cholesterol- control diets, DAPP 1.4% increased (P < 0.01) fecal energy output by 47 and 46%, respectively. In hamsters supplemented with 1.4% DAPP, plasma triglyceride concentrations were 45% lower (P < 0.05) than in cholesterol- control fed hamsters. Furthermore, plasma triglyceride levels in the DAPP 1.4% group was 49% lower (P < 0.01) than in the stanol group, despite the fact that both diets contained equivalent amounts of phytostanols. The lower concentration of DAPP (0.7%) also reduced plasma triglycerides (P < 0.05) compared with the stanol diet. Conclusion: Stanol-ascorbate decreases body weight gain in hamsters, likely due to lower energy absorption at the intestinal level. In addition to its previously observed powerful cholesterol- lowering effect, DAPP has a hypotriglyceridemic function in hamsters.