**Author details**

248 Lipid Metabolism

CH 2OH OH OH HO O O C H2 CH <sup>2</sup>

CH 2OH OH OH HO O O OH HO O O

CH <sup>2</sup> OH HO O O

Attenuated glucose and insulin

Reduction of de novo lipogenesis

Control of glucose absorption

CH 2OH CH <sup>2</sup> OH OH OR HO O OH HO O O

Glucose Triglycerides

Indigenous microbiota

Cholesterol Cholesterol

Fermentation

Mucosal microbes

triglyceride absorption

CH 2OH OH OH HO O O OH OH HO O O CH <sup>2</sup> OH OH O O CH 2OH OH OH HO O O CH 2OH OH OH O O

**Polydextrose**

Bile?

Regulation of cholesterol absorption and formation of HDL

**Figure 3.** Summary of the polydextrose function in lipid metabolism.

NPC1 PPARα, PGC-1α, LPIN1

Control of metabolism

Regulation of gene expression

It could be worthwhile to investigate to what extent polydextrose fermentation metabolites cause systemic effects for instance in liver, and its de novo cholesterol synthesis, not forgetting the role of the intestine. When lipidemic conditions are normal, the liver is the most important site of cholesterol biosynthesis, followed by the intestine. Biosynthesis in the liver and intestine account for about 15 and 10 %, respectively, in the total amount of cholesterol biosynthesis each day [158] [159]. In hypercholesterolemia, when cholesterol

SCFAs Other metabolites

> Shift in structure

Mucosal microbes layer

SCFA absorption

lipogenesis Regulation of

Reduction of de novo

Colonocytes

Other systemic effects

Cholesterol degradation

Enhancement of satiety

Mucous layer

Mucous

Chylomicron formation

Heli Putaala *DuPont Nutrition and Health, Active Nutrition, Kantvik, Finland* 
