Dietary hypercholesterolemia in relation to cholesterol and fat absorption in cockerels.

Differences in the mean plasma cholesterol levels of adult White Single Comb Leghorn cockerels were accentuated when a diet containing 10% hydrogenated vegetable oil and 1% cholesterol was fed for six days. The cholesterol levels promoted by the diet were found to be negatively correlated (p 0.05) with the amount of cholesterol excreted by the groups. The differences observed among groups in the rate of elimination of the excess cholesterol from the circulation were not found to be statistically significant. Variation in cholesterol absorption may therefore be responsible, in large measure for differences in the degree of hypercholesterolemia induced, by feeding a diet high in cholesterol. A significant correlation (p 0.01) between the amounts of cholesterol and saponifiable lipids excreted following the feeding of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet suggests that the amount of dietary fat absorbed may be a major determinant of the amount of cholesterol absorbed. Subjection of cockerels to the feeding of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet over a prolonged period resulted in an increase in lipid absorption. Cockerels which survived 410 days of feeding maintained throughout the test, a lower mean plasma cholesterol level than nonsurvivors. The blood vessels of survivors compared to nonsurvivors showed little evidence of atherosclerosis.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat