Intestinal interaction of bile acids, phospholipids, dietary fibers, and cholestyramine.

Binding of bile acids and phospholipids to a number of dietary fibers and cholestyramine (CH) within the small intestine was determined. The fibers used were cellulose, wheat bran, oat bran, guar gum (GG), and lignin (LG). GG, LG, and CH bound significant quantities of bile acids. However, only the CH reduced the bile acid concentration within the aqueous phase of the intestinal contents. Significant phospholipid binding was found only with CH. None of the test substances significantly reduced the quantity of solubilized lipid. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the total quantity of bile acids and phospholipids in the aqueous phase of the intestinal contents was a significant predictor of the quantity of lipid solubilized within the contents (r2 = 0.67). The failure of GG and LG to significantly decrease the amount of solubilized lipid suggests that the hypocholesterolemic effect of these fibers is due more to their bile acid binding capacity than to an effect on lipid solubilization.