Effect of Dietary Cholesterol on Man's Serum Lipids

Abstract

Serum cholesterol levels in man were found to be proportional to the square root of dietary cholesterol. The change of serum cholesterol (mg/100 ml) produced by substituting a diet containing Z₂² mg of cholesterol/1000 kcal for another containing Z₁² mg of cholesterol/1000 kcal is given by the formula Δ Chol = 1.5 (Z₂ - Z₁). This formula is based on experiments in which the daily cholesterol supplement was dissolved in 100 g of oil which was in turn incorporated into the diet or given in the form of dry egg yolk mixed with the same amount of oil, but it also applies to other results reported in the literature with dietary cholesterol ranging from zero to about 3000 mg/day. Smaller effects were obtained when the cholesterol supplement was given with only 6 g of fat incorporated into cookies. The effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol and phospholipids was independent of the degree of saturation of the dietary fat. Conversely, the effect on the serum lipids of changing the composition of the dietary fat was independent of the cholesterol content of the diet at either 50 or 1500 mg/day.