Effect of Dietary Pectin, ‘Protopectin’ and Gum Arabic on Cholesterol Excretion in Rats

¹ From the Department of Clinical Science, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois

The addition of pectin and a protopectin preparation containing galactose and arabinose to a noncholesterol-containing basal diet increased the fecal excretion of saponifiable lipids; the absorption of endogenous cholesterol and the excretion of nonsaponifiable lipids were uninfluenced. The addition of pectin to a basal diet containing cholesterol increased the excretion of fecal saponifiable and nonsaponifiable lipids and decreased the absorption of exogenous cholesterol. The addition of the protopectin preparation to the same diet had no significant effect on the excretion of saponifiable lipids, but the excretion of cholesterol was decidely reduced and, in two experiments out of three, there occurred an approximately equivalent increase in noncholesterol nonsaponifiable material. The addition of gum arabic or arabinose to this ration produced practically no changes in the amount of saponifiable and nonsaponifiable fecal lipids and in the recovery of exogenous cholesterol in the feces. Only very small quantities of noncolor-developing sterols were eliminated either on the cholesterol basal diet or when this diet was supplemented with pectin, protopectin, gum arabic or arabinose.