Moderate increase in dietary sucrose does not influence fasting or postprandial serum lipids regardless of the presence of apolipoprotein E2 allele in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether a moderate increase in dietary sucrose intake induces different serum lipid responses in normolipidemic subjects with the epsilon 2 allele compared with subjects without the epsilon 2 allele.

DESIGN

Controlled, parallel study.

SUBJECTS

There were 15 subjects with the apolipoprotein E (APOE)3/2 genotype and 19 subjects with the APOE 3/3 or 3/4 genotype, whose mean+/-s.d. age was 48+/-14 and 35+/-10 years, respectively. All subjects had normal glucose metabolism.

INTERVENTIONS

The subjects were instructed to increase their sucrose intake by 40 g/day for 8 weeks and to decrease the intake of saturated and unsaturated fat to maintain energy balance. Dietary adherence was monitored using food records and the actual increase in sucrose intake was 39.8+/-18.4 g/day. Sixteen subjects (nine with APOE 3/2 genotype, seven with APOE 3/3 or 3/4 genotypes) participated also in an 8 h oral fat tolerance test at the beginning and at the end of the intervention.

RESULTS

Body weight remained stable during the intervention. Sucrose intake did not have a significant effect on fasting concentrations of serum total and lipoprotein lipids, plasma glucose, serum insulin, squalene and non-cholesterol sterols in either genotype group. Neither were there any changes in postprandial lipid or insulin responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate increase in sucrose intake does not affect fasting or postprandial serum lipid responses in healthy subjects with or without the epsilon 2 allele.