Period Of Cholesterol Feeding Research Articles

The effect of undernutrition on cholesterol atherosclerosis in the rabbit.

Experiments were done to determine whether undernutrition with consequent loss of weight or failure to gain weight inhibited the development or promoted the regression of the aortic lesions of experimental cholesterol atherosclerosis in the rabbit. The experiments were conducted in such a way as to determine whether undernourished and adequately nourished rabbits fed the same daily doses of cholesterol would manifest different degrees of atherosclerosis at the end of an experiment. Different experiments tested the effect of undernutrition in young, growing animals that failed to gain weight normally (Experiments 1 and 2); in young rabbits subjected to marked undernutrition both before and during cholesterol feeding (Experiment 3); in fully grown, mature rabbits that lost weight during undernutrition (Experiment 4); and in rabbits that had completed a period of cholesterol feeding before caloric restriction was begun (Experiment 5). In every experiment it was observed that, if two groups of rabbits were fed cholesterol, one group being subjected to caloric restriction while the other received an adequate diet, no difference in aortic atherosclerosis was observed between the two groups at the termination of the experiment. Furthermore, no obvious effect of undernutrition on the regression of atherosclerotic lesions was observed in the rabbit. At the same time, undernutrition was found to promote hypercholesterolemia in the rabbit fed cholesterol. The possible significance of this result was discussed.

Action of Choline on Experimental Aortic Atherosclerosis

A previous communication1 reported that the administration of choline to cholesterol-fed rabbits failed to prevent gross atherosclerosis, but did nevertheless result in a temporary delay in the appearance of aortic atheromata. The present study was designed to determine whether choline is effective in causing a reabsorption of the lesions previously produced in cholesterol-fed rabbits.Twenty male chinchilla rabbits approximately 6 months old were used. The animals were kept indoors in individual cages. The diet consisted of oats, carrots and cabbage. One gram of cholesterol was mixed into the food of each rabbit 3 times a week for 110 days. The animals were then divided into 3 groups. Groups I-A and I-B, consisting of 5 animals each, were designated as controls. Group II contained 10 animals. Group I-A animals were sacrificed immediately after the 110-day cholesterol feeding period was completed. Group I-B animals were placed on the regular diet for 60 days after the cholesterol feeding period was discont...

Some Effects of Iodine Given to Rabbits After a Period of Cholesterol Feeding.

Conclusion(1) The cholesterol content of rabbit liver, increased by cholesterol feeding, tends to return spontaneously to a normal value when the feeding is stopped. KI apparently does not accelerate this fall. (2) The normal decrease in adrenal weights and the prompt fall in the blood cholesterol occurring when cholesterol feeding is stopped are both inhibited by the administration of KI at the conclusion of the feeding period. (3) The high incidence of males among rabbits failing to develop a hypercholesterolemia with cholesterol feeding warrants further study.