Lactosucrose inhibits body fat accumulation in rats by decreasing intestinal lipid absorption.

Lactosucrose (LS, 4(G)-beta-D-galactosylsucrose) is a non-digestible oligosaccharide, and the consumption of LS selectively increases the proportion of intestinal bifidobacteria. We examined in this study the hypolipidemic potential of LS. An oral triolein tolerance test on rats indicated that LS reduced the elevation of serum triglyceride (TG) and free fatty acids (FFA). Furthermore, LS inhibited the enzymatic digestion of triolein by pancreatic lipase in vitro. NMR spectroscopy showed that LS formed an intermolecular complex with triolein. The long-term consumption of a diet containing 5% LS for 8 weeks significantly decreased the weight of abdominal adipose tissue when compared with that of the control group. Thus, LS may reduce adipose tissue accumulation by inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption via a direct interaction with TG.