Effect of trans‐fatty acid source on indicators of coronary heart disease risk in male Hartley guinea pigs

Abstract

The objective was to examine differences in lipoprotein particle concentration and atherosclerotic lesion development, both indicators of coronary heart disease. Male Hartley guinea pigs (n=48; 24/period, 6/group) were fed diets supplemented with 9% partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHVO), milk fat (MF), coconut oil (CO), or olive oil (OO) and 0.25% cholesterol (C) for 8 or 12 wks. Total trans‐fatty acid content of the PHVO and MF diets was 2%. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance was used to measure lipoprotein particles in plasma. Oil Red O was used to detect lesions in the aortic arch. Data was pooled for both periods because no differences were detected. There was no difference in plasma C, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐C or low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐C between the PHVO and MF groups; both were higher than OO and not different from CO (P<0.05). Triacylglycerides were higher in the CO, PHVO and MF groups than the OO group (P<0.05). CO group had the highest concentration of small‐dense (sd) LDL particles and the OO group had the lowest; no difference was detected between the MF and PHVO groups (P<0.05). The MF and CO groups had higher concentrations of total and sdHDL particles than PHVO and OO groups (P<0.05). None of the groups developed lesions. Although there was no difference in total plasma C, the HDL particle concentration differences detected between diets, particularly PHVO and MF, warrant further research.