Effect of Dietary Fat and Cholesterol on the Blood Cholesterol Level in Rats

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Abstract
The effect on blood cholesterol of fat or fatty acids in synthetic diets with and without the addition of cholesterol was studied. 2 groups of rats were used. Group A was fed 3 cholesterol-free synthetic diets and Group B was fed similar diets with 2% cholesterol in consecutive 21 day periods for each group. The diets contained lard, oleic acid or stearic acid in a 25% concn. Total and ester blood cholesterol rose in both groups on the lard diet. On the oleic acid diet, group A blood levels did not change significantly, whereas group B showed a significant increase in the free fraction with a slight decrease in the total and ester compartment. On the stearic acid feeding, group A showed a slight decline in total cholesterol while group B showed a marked decline in both the total and ester fractions. Both groups showed similar total levels at end of stearic acid feeding, with both levels showing the same elevation over the control levels. Incomplete absorption of cholesterol may take place when a high percentage of saturated fatty acid is present in the diet.

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