Influence of apolipoprotein E phenotype on metabolism of lipids and apolipoproteins after plant stanol ester ingestion in Japanese subjects.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the effect of apolipoprotein E phenotype on changes in plasma levels of lipids and apoproteins by plant stanol ester (PSE) ingestion in Japanese subjects whose diet is low in fat and cholesterol.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The effect of PSE-containing spread was studied in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. One hundred five healthy volunteers were enrolled for this study. Apolipoprotein E phenotyping was done in 96 of 105 subjects. We compared plasma levels at the start and end of the test period (4 wk). The daily ingestion of 2 g of plant stanols from the PSE spread significantly reduced plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 8.9 +/- 6.6% (mean +/- standard deviation) in the E(3) group and 10.4 +/- 8.0% in the E(4) group. The daily ingestion of 2 g of plant stanols from the PSE spread significantly decreased plasma levels of apoprotein B by 5.4 +/- 7.9% in the E(3) group and 8.9 +/- 7.0% in the E(4) group. No further reductions of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apoprotein B were observed with 3 g/d of plant stanols from the PSE spread.

CONCLUSION

The ingestion of PSE spread significantly reduced plasma levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apoprotein B. However, the response to PSE ingestion was not influenced by apolipoprotein E phenotype.