**Acknowledgement**

Alicia Huazano-García thanks the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) for her scholarship and also thanks M.S. Patricia Santiago for the agave fructans sample.

### **5. References**

178 Lipid Metabolism

pathogenic species [17,18].

with supplemented diets.

this type of ingredients.

Alicia Huazano-García and Mercedes G. López *Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioquímica,* 

*Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México* 

**Author details** 

observed on the concentration of C4:0 acid in the distal colon, which agrees well with previous reports. However, mice fed with agave fructans (AAO) produced greater amounts of SCFAs in the caecum and proximal and medial colon than those mice fed with inulins (RNE), suggesting that AAO fructans were easily fermentable, independently of the their high DP, therefore, the difference might be due to the presence of branches in the agave fructans, which could make the molecule more accessible to enzymes (fructosyltransferases), in other words, there are more terminal fructose available for the fructosyltransferases of bacteria. According to the production of SCFAs, proximal and medial colon, were the main sites where fermentation of *A. angustifolia* fructans was carried out. In general, an increment was observed in the production of C3:0 and C4:0 acids in the distal colon of mice that received diets supplemented with fructans. On the other hand, total SCFAs and individual SCFAs concentrations in the different sections of the colon are very important since they have been associated with many diseases of the colon, especially with colon cancer and gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, increased SCFAs production and a greater delivery of them distally, especially C4:0 acid, may have an important role in preventing some of these diseases and other metabolic problems. Moreover, C3:0 acid has been reported to have a positive metabolic effect, through the inhibition of hepatic cholesterol synthesis from C2:0 acid [32]. Interestingly, a significant decrease in plasma triglycerides and cholesterol levels of animals fed with fructans was observed in this work. Finally, the mice that consumed agave fructans showed the more pronounced drop on pH in the caecum and the three sections of the colon, which creates a more acid environment which is highly beneficial for the grow of bacteria such as *bifidobacteria* and/or *lactobacilli* but is detrimental for the growth of potentially

As a general conclusion, we can mention that the supplementation of diets with inulins or agavins altered the large intestine environment by increasing the amounts of SCFAs and lowering the pH in the colon, consequently reducing few health risks. Finally, we would like to close this work saying that these SCFAs had a positive effect on the host lipid metabolism, since they decreased the levels of triglycerides, cholesterol and glucose in blood of mice fed

Based on all the previous data, agave fructans may offer a good prebiotic potential, opening new and excited alternatives as food supplements. Even do, further research is definitely needed on specific health problems and should be performed using supplemented diets with agavins of different structures as well as different mixtures and concentrations, because more knowledge is needed on health issues such obesity, diabetes, colon cancer and in general, gut associated risks that might be improved with


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**Section 3** 

**Lipid Metabolism in Health and Disease** 


**Lipid Metabolism in Health and Disease** 

182 Lipid Metabolism

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**Chapter 9** 

© 2013 Song et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2013 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution,

**Lipid Metabolism, Metabolic Syndrome,** 

Metabolism is the process of making energy and cellular molecules from breaking down the food that made up of proteins, carbohydrates and fats etc. A metabolic disorder occurs when abnormal chemical reactions disrupt this process. When this happens, our body might have too much of some substances or too little of other ones that we need to stay healthy. Metabolic syndrome, a combination of several metabolic risk factors including abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and atherogenic dyslipidemia, is one of the most common health problems in the modern society. Increasingly accumulated evidence from epidemiologic and basic research data, as well as translational, clinical, and intervention studies suggested that metabolic syndrome may be an important etiologic factor for the onset of cancer. In fact cancer has long been indicated as a metabolic disease due to aberrant

In living cells, processes of carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism and energy metabolism are closely related. Metabolic syndrome (MS), such as diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidimia, and hypertension, is, more or less, associated with abnormal lipid metabolism. As a metabolic disease, cancer is caused by impaired energy metabolism due to impaired mitochondrial function, which is linked with abnormal mitochondrial membrane lipids, especially cardiolipin content [1]. Recent studies have indicated that abnormalities in cellular lipid metabolism are involved in both pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and

As the major component of membranes and energy resources, cellular lipids, including phospholipids and neutral lipids (mainly triacylglycerols and sterol esters), play a crucial role for both cellular and physiological energy homeostasis. As cellular membrane structure components, phospholipids are important for cellular membrane remodeling and cellular

and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Fang Hu, Yingtong Zhang and Yuanda Song

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

energy metabolism caused by mitochondrial damage.

**and Cancer** 

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/51821

**1. Introduction** 

various cancers [2, 3].
