The Cholesterol-lowering Effect of Commercial Diet Fed to Germfree and Conventional Rats

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Abstract
Germfree and conventional rats were fed laboratory-made semi-purified diets, a commercial diet fortified for heat sterilization, and semi-purified diets incorporating the lipid fraction isolated from the commercial diet. In both germfree and conventional animals total serum and liver cholesterol values in animals fed the commercial diet were, on the average, 20 to 30% lower than the levels for the animals maintained with the semi-purified formulas. Upon changing from the semi-purified to the commercial diet, serum cholesterol values in both animal groups decreased by approximately the same amount. These changes were completely reversible. When the lipid fraction extracted from the commercial diet was used to replace the corn oil in the semi-purified formula, similar results were obtained. In all experiments where germ-free and conventional animals were compared, the data showed a striking similarity. The results suggest that the commercial diet contains a cholesterol-lowering lipid fraction which acts directly on cholesterol metabolism and not via an effect on the intestinal microflora.