Alpha‐Cyclodextrin selectively increases fecal excretion of saturated fats

Reduction in fat intake, particularly saturated fat, is a common recommendation for improving health. In conjunction with reducing fat intake, decreasing fat absorption could be beneficial. α-Cyclodextrin is a dietary fiber-like material that may increase fecal fat excretion, based on in vitro studies demonstrating a strong triacylglycerol binding. To examine this in vivo, rats were fed for 7 days diets containing either 5% cellulose (CEL, negative control), 5% chitosan (CH, positive control), 5% α-cyclodextrin, added directly to the diet (ACD), or complexed to the fat before addition to the diet (CpxACD). Rats were then fasted overnight and given diets containing 14C-triolein and 3H-tripalmitin to trace fat excretion. Four hrs later a 12 hr fecal collection was done, then stomach, small intestine, cecum, and colon contents collected. Fat excretion was determined as the sum of radioactivity found in the large intestine and feces. CH increased excretion from 14C-triolein and 3H-tripalmitin, relative to CEL, to the same degree. ACD did not increase 14C-triolein excretion, but increased excretion from 3H-tripalmitin 7-fold compared to CEL. CpxACD increased excretion from 14C-triolein to the same degree as CH, but increased excretion from 3H-tripalmitin 16-fold relative to CEL. α-Cyclodextrin appears to selectively increase saturated fat excretion, which may provide a health benefit.