The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 127 No. 8 August 1997, pp. 1686S-1693S
Copyright ©1997 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

Olestra Ingestion and Retinyl Palmitate Absorption in Humans

The Procter & Gamble Company, Winton Hill Technical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45224

This study examined the effect of olestra, a zero-calorie fat replacement, on the absorption of retinyl palmitate in humans. After a 30-d adaptation period during which they consumed 10 g olestra/d in potato chips under free-living conditions, 68 healthy male subjects were housed in a metabolic ward and given a single dose of retinyl palmitate (0.33 RDA) containing a trace amount of ³H-retinyl palmitate with a breakfast that contained 0, 8, 20 or 32 g of olestra and about 38 g of triglyceride. Blood was collected at defined intervals for 48 h and plasma analyzed for ³H-retinyl esters by HPLC and liquid scintillation spectrometry. There was no significant effect on retinyl palmitate absorption as determined from the area under the plasma ³H-retinyl esters concentration-time curve. However, an area under the plasma concentration-time curve in the 32-g olestra group that was 81% (mean value) or 70% (median value) of the area under the curve for the placebo group suggested that olestra may have affected retinyl palmitate absorption. Inclusion or exclusion of 13 high responders did not change the results.