The Age Factor in Hypercholesteremia and Atheromatosis in the Chick

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Abstract
The development of atherosclerosis in very young chicks challenges the concept that atherogenesis depends upon senescence. Instead, the age period, rather than age, seems to be the more significant factor in atherogenesis. This is so since the regulation of the plasma cholesterol level is shown to vary at different age periods. During the first two months of life of the chick, a resistance to hypercholesteremia and atheromatosis is seen. At the eighth week, corresponding to the time of puberty, the plasma cholesterol rises markedly, despite an unchanged dietary regimen. The resistance to vascular lesions disappears and atheromatosis develops rapidly over the next few weeks. This indicates that endogenous mechanisms dependent upon the age period are important factors in the tendency to hypercholesteremia and atherogenesis.