ABSTRACT
A number of possible mechanisms are likely to be involved in the hypocholesterolemic effect of dietary fiber, and different mechanisms are likely to predominate depending on the fiber. Fiber delays the rate of nutrient absorption and, in the longer term, may alter small intestinal morphology and lipid absorption. Alteration in the rate and site of lipid absorption may alter the pattern of lipoprotein secretion and catabolism. The early studies described the hypolipidemic effects of fibers in healthy volunteers before they were tested on patient groups. The early studies of Palmer and Dixon in normal volunteers were followed by those of Miettinen and colleagues on hyperlipidemic patients who consumed relatively large doses of pectin. The mechanisms for the hypolipidemic action of soy protein remain obscure, but may relate to the amino acid profile or the presence of specific pharmacologically active peptides liberated during digestion.
