1. Figure 1 Intestinal action of functional foods and supplements
Figure 1 | Intestinal action of functional foods and supplements. Plant sterols inhibit dietary cholesterol absorption by competing with cholesterol for absorption in micelles in the gastrointestinal tract. Plant sterols displace animal cholesterol from micelles, which forces cholesterol to be excreted in the faeces. Plant sterols can also co-crystallize with cholesterol to form insoluble mixed crystals and interfere with lumenal hydrolysis of cholesterol by intestinal lipases and cholesterol esterases. Once inside the enterocyte, plant sterols are excreted back into the gut lumen by ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 5 (ABCG5; also known as sterolin 1)–ABCG8 (also known as sterolin 2) heterodimeric transporter, whereas animal-derived cholesterol is esterified by acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2) and packaged into chylomicrons for transport in the lymphatic system. Green tea interferes with the formation of micelles and results in displacement of cholesterol from micelles. Soluble fibre, including that found in seaweed, binds to cholesterol and bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract, which makes them unavailable for absorption. Probiotic bacteria inhibit cholesterol absorption by absorbing cholesterol themselves and possess bile salt hydrolase activity, which can deconjugate bile acids and make their absorption less efficient. NPC1L1, Niemann–Pick C1-like protein 1.
Hunter, P. M. & Hegele, R. A. (2017) Functional foods and dietary supplements for the management of dyslipidaemia
Nat. Rev. Endocrinol. doi: /nrendo