Distinct ethnic differences in cholesterol metabolism following high fructose feeding (642.1)

The purpose of our study was to assess ethnic‐specific impacts of fructose on cholesterol metabolism of black West‐African (BWA) and white‐European (WE) men. 15 men (7 BWA/8 WE) undertook 24‐hrs controlled feeding (20% calories from fructose). Plasma cholesterol (TC), HDL, non‐HDL, triglycerides (TG), red blood cell cholesterol (Chol), lathosterol (LS), campesterol (CS) and β‐sitosterol (BS) concentrations were measured at baseline and 24hrs and changes assessed in each ethnicity by student and paired t‐tests. Baseline TC (5.13±0.68 vs. 4.33±0.58, p=0.03) and non‐HDL (3.75±0.61 vs. 3.07±0.51, p=0.03) were higher in BWA but there were no differences in HDL or TG. There were no significant lipid changes (TC +0.21 mmol/L; non‐HDL +0.18 mmol/L; HDL +0.03 mmol/L; TG +0.05 mmol/L) following fructose feeding in WE while BWA TC (+0.38 mmol/L, p=0.002), non‐HDL (+0.30 mmol/L, p=0.004) and HDL (+0.08 mmol/L, p=0.02) increased. Baseline RBC Chol, LS, CS and BS were higher in BWA compared to WE. Change in RBC Chol following fructose was not different between ethnicities but did remain higher in BWA (0.17 vs. 0.05 µmol/g RBC, p=0.003). The LS/Chol (mmol/mol chol) (5.6 vs. 4.2, p=0.06) tended to be higher in BWA suggesting a higher cholesterol synthesis. Finally, CS (0.54 vs. 0.08 nmol/g RBC, p=0.02) and BS (0.34 vs. 0.06 nmol/g RBC, p=0.008) concentrations were higher and the BS/Chol (1.9 vs. 1.2, p=0.11) tended to be higher at 24hrs in BWA, indicating higher cholesterol absorption. These data illustrate both ethnic specific differences in markers of cholesterol metabolism and a differential effect of fructose on these outcomes. Grant Funding Source : Supported by King's College London