[Effect of oral inulin administration on lipid profile and insulin sensitivity in subjects with obesity and dyslipidemia]

Abstract

Background: Inulin is a non absorbable polysaccharide with prebiotic effects, whose influence on blood lipids or insulin sensitivity is not well known:

Aim: To assess the effect of oral administration of inulin on lipid profile and insulin sensitivity in dyslipidemic obese subjects.

Material and methods: A clinical trial, double blind, randomized with placebo was carried out in 12 obese, hypertrygliceridemic and hypercholesterolemic subjects between 19 and 32 years old. The subjects were randomized to receive 7 g/day of inulin or placebo in the morning, during 4 weeks. Biochemical and metabolic profiles and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique for assessing insulin sensitivity, before and after pharmacological intervention were performed.

Results: After inulin administration, there was a significant reduction of total cholesterol (248.7 +/- 30.5 and 194.3 +/- 39.8 mg/dL; p = 0.028), low density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol (136.0 +/- 27.8 and 113.0 +/- 36.2 mg/dL; p = 0.028), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) (45.9 +/- 18.5 and 31.6 +/- 7.2 mg/dL; p = 0.046) and trygliceride concentrations (235.5 +/- 85.9 and 171.1 +/- 37.9 mg/dL; p = 0.046). No effect of inulin on insulin sensitivity was observed.

Conclusions: The oral inulin administration reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL and trygliceride levels in dyslipidemic and obese subjects, without modifications in the insulin sensitivity.