Diet and Cholesteremia

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Abstract
The investigation was undertaken to develop a diet suitable for studying the effects of nutritional factors on cholesteremia in the rat. A high level of hydrogenated coconut oil in the diet had little effect on serum cholesterol, but it enhanced essential fatty acid deficiency. Exclusion of pyridoxine from the diet caused a slight elevation of serum cholesterol concentration and a severe growth inhibition. Feeding of cholesterol led to an appreciable elevation in serum cholesterol concentration and enhancement of essential fatty acid deficiency. The further addition of cholic acid to this diet caused a still greater rise in serum cholesterol concentration. The relative proportions of cholesterol and cholic acid in the diet determined the serum cholesterol concentration obtained, with cholic acid exerting the greater hypercholesteremic effect. Corn oil added to this diet at a level of 1% reduced the accumulation of serum cholesterol. There was a considerable elevation of serum cholesterol concentration when thiouracil was also included in the diet, however, thiouracil caused a severe growth depression and the inclusion of 1% of corn oil in the diet containing thiouracil was without effect on the serum cholesterol concentration. The effects of these dietary changes on serum lipid phosphorus and liver lipid concentrations were also studied. A diet containing 25% of hydrogenated coconut oil, 1% of cholesterol and 0.5% of cholic acid was selected as suitable for the study of nutritional factors affecting serum cholesterol concentration in the rat.