Diet and Cholesteremia. IV. Effects of Carbohydrate and Nicotinic Acid.

Abstract

Summary When rats were fed a diet containing 25% of hydrogenated coconut oil, 1% of cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid, substitution of wheat flour for sucrose caused a reduction in serum cholesterol concentration. Diets containing sucrose, dextrin and anhydrous glucose produced the same degree of hypercholesteremia. When sucrose was replaced in part with lactose or sorbitol hypercholesteremia was enhanced. Nicotinic acid at high levels and inositol-hexanicotinate at 0.57% level in the diet failed to lower serum cholesterol concentration. High doses of nicotinic acid had no effect on pyridine nucleotide content of the liver, but raised the oxidized pyridine nucleotide content of blood significantly.