HDL biology
High-trans-fat margarine trends toward higher CETP levels while lowering cholesterol esterification rate (J Lipid Res 2001)
Original title: Hydrogenated fat consumption affects acylation-stimulating protein levels and cholesterol esterification rates in moderately hypercholesterolemic women
Fourteen women aged 65-71 completed a randomized crossover trial of four five-week diets using soybean oil, low-trans, medium-trans, or high-trans margarines, testing effects on triglyceride metabolism and cholesterol esterification. The high-trans (stick) margarine diet produced the lowest acylation-stimulating protein levels and highest free fatty acids of the four diets (both P<0.05), with no differences in glucose or insulin. Plasma CETP levels, used together with deuterium incorporation to derive the esterification rate (ER) of newly synthesized cholesterol, trended higher after the high-trans diet, while ER itself was significantly lowest after the high-trans diet and highest after the low-trans diet (P<0.05); ER positively correlated with HDL-cholesterol and HDL2 (both P<0.05).
Original abstract
To determine whether hydrogenated fat consumption alters triglyceride metabolism and cholesterol esterification rates, 14 women (65-71 years of age) were provided with each of four diets for 5-week periods according to a randomized cross-over design. The experimental diets contained either soybean oil (SO), low trans squeeze (SQM), medium trans tub (TM), or high trans stick (SM) margarines. Triglyceride uptake by adipose tissue was determined by measuring plasma acylation-stimulating protein (ASP), FFA, glucose, and insulin levels, while rates of transfer and esterification rate of newly synthesized cholesterol (ER) were derived by using plasma CETP levels and the deuterium incorporation methodology. Plasma ASP levels were lowest (P < 0.05) in subjects on the SM diet (33.4 +/- 12.7 nM) compared with the SO (48.7 +/- 17.0 nM) and SQM (50.7 +/- 15.7 nM) diets. Conversely, FFA were highest (P < 0.05) on the SM diet (0.86 +/- 0.45 mM) relative to all the other diets. No differences were observed in plasma glucose and insulin levels among diets. A trend toward higher CETP levels after consumption of the SM diet was observed. However, the ER was lowest (P < 0.05) after the SM (0.111 +/- 0.062 g x day(-1)) diet and highest after consumption of the SQM (0.216 +/- 0.123 g x day(-1)) diet. In addition, ASP levels were negatively correlated with FFA (r = -0.63, P < 0.05), LDL cholesterol (r = -0.56, P < 0.05), and TG (r = -0.41, P < 0.05), whereas FFA was positively correlated with apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (r = 0.58 and 0.47, for VLDL and LDL cholesterol, P < 0.05), and negatively correlated with HDL cholesterol (r = -0.51, P < 0.05). The ER was found to positively correlate with HDL cholesterol and HDL2 subfraction (r = 0.53 and 0.45, respectively, P < 0.05). Taken together, these data demonstrate that the alterations in circulating lipid levels, commonly observed with consumption of hydrogenated fat-rich diets, can be explained in part by changes in ASP activity as well as newly synthesized cholesterol ER.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.