Sphingolipids : metabolism and implications for health
2001
Pfeuffer, M. | Schrezenmeir, J. (Federal Dairy Research Center, Kiel (Germany). Inst. of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition)
Milk is a rich source of sphingolipids. Sphingomyelin (SM) represents about one third of total milk phospholipids. Traditionally there has been interest in SM as an anticarcinogenic agent in the intestinal tract. But since it was discovered that SM and sphingolipid derivatives in general are cellular signalling substances with possibly important implications for human health, there is a renewed interest in this field. Dietary SM exerts a beneficial effect in the gastrointestinal tract, protecting against cancer and bacterial infection. Furthermore, it is reported that intestinal cell SM content may regulate cholesterol absorption. But far less is known about the impact of dietary SM and sphingolipids in general on endogenous sphingolipid metabolism. It is questionable whether dietary sphingolipids interfere directly with endogenous regulatory mechanisms. But several dietary measures may affect SM levels in lipoproteins and cells and thus SM turnover. Furthermore, the closely coordinated regulation of cholesterol and SM metabolism deserves attention. It may well be that by this means a modification of cholesterol metabolism, brought about by dietary measures like fibre uptake, leads to changes in cell signalling
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