Abstract
Summary
Chronic dietary experiments in rats have revealed that months are necessary to evaluate the ultimate level of serum lipids resulting from sustained feeding of various levels of dietary protein. Quantitative changes in dietary protein can influence the levels of serum cholesterol and cholesterol/lipid phosphorus ratio. Reduction or elevation of dietary casein beyond a modest range (12-18%) will lead to ultimate elevation of serum cholesterol and phospholipid under conditions herein described. The insignificant change in cholesterol/lipid phosphorus ratio at low levels of dietary casein as opposed to its elevation at higher levels suggests that different mechanisms are operating in these two situations. Unusually high levels of serum cholesterol were achieved in old rats fed 40% casein. Coronary arterial atheromatous lesions developed in one-third of these animals, but in none of the other groups in the 6-month period.
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