Abstract
Magnesium/phosphotungstic acid was confirmed as specific for precipitation of chylomicrons, low-density and very low density lipoprotein particles in serum from healthy volunteers who were either fasting or who had eaten egg yolks or a salmon sandwich containing Flora margarine 2 hours previously.
In eight subjects who ate salmon sandwiches that contained butter or Flora margarine, neither the total cholesterol nor the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol differed significantly from the fasting level over 7 hours. In eight subjects, egg yolks also did not alter significantly either the total serum cholesterol or the HDL cholesterol at ½, 1, 1½, 2, 5, and 7 hours after eating. Patients may be screened for HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol estimation when not fasting.
However, individual subjects showed variation in their total cholesterol and, particularly, HDL cholesterol over a three-month period. Replicate analysis of HDL cholesterol may be required for its complete assessment.