The effect of addition of sugar-beet fibre to the diet on sterol excretion from the small intestine was studied in nine ileostomy subjects. A constant low-fibre diet was given in two 3 d periods with and without 32 g sugar-beet fibre/d in random order. Care was taken to minimize bacterial alteration of the ileostomy contents. The addition of sugar-beet fibre increased net cholesterol excretion by 52 (SE 9)%(P < 0·01), from 294 (SE 99) to 451 (SE 124) mg/d, and decreased bile acid excretion by 26 (SE 15)% (P < 0·01), from 764 (SE 118) to 567 (SE 96) mg/d. The increased cholesterol and decreased bile acid excretion found with sugar-beet fibre addition is different from the pattern associated with fibre sources such as pectin and oat fibre. The interaction between dietary fibre and sterol metabolism may be mediated, therefore, by different mechanisms depending on the fibre source.
