Some Relationships among Dietary Sterols, Plasma and Liver Cholesterol Levels, and Atherosclerosis in Chicks

Abstract

The inclusion of soybean sterols in a high (1%) cholesterol diet prevented over a period of 28 weeks the usual hypercholesteremic response obtained with chicks on such a diet without added soybean sterols. The presence of soybean sterols in the diet also decreased the deposition of cholesterol in the livers of the chicks. There was a highly significant decrease in the incidence of atherosclerosis in chicks fed the soybean sterol-cholesterol diet. The possibility is discussed that one or more of the constituents of the soybean sterols interferes with cholesterol absorption.