BODY CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM IN MAN. II. MEASUREMENT OF THE BODY CHOLESTEROL MISCIBLE POOL AND TURNOVER RATE*†

Abstract

Measurements of body cholesterol miscible pool and turnover rate have been carried out in a group of normal and hypercholesterolemic subjects by a new method which utilizes the study of the rate of disappearance of C14-cholesterol specific activity from the plasma over periods of 4 to 7 months after the intravenous administration of labeled cholesterol. The miscible pool of cholesterol ranged from 0.18 to 0.35% of body weight in this group and the body turnover rate ranged from half-time values of 58 to 101 days. The level of cholesterol miscible pool did not correlate well with the serum cholesterol level although patients with familial and idiopathic hypercholesterolemia had miscible pool values above the normal range. A patient with myxedema had a markedly reduced body cholesterol turnover rate but the other hypercholesterolemic patients had half-time values for cholesterol within the normal range.