Effects of atherogenic diet on young farm pigs.

This study was designed to assess the usefulness of young farm pigs as an experimental model for hypercholesterolemia. In order to test this, we investigated both serologic and electrocardiographic effects of atherogenic diet. Four-week-old pigs were fed an atherogenic diet for 8 weeks. No arrhythmia was observed on ECG in all animals. There were no significant difference between control and atherogenic diet group on the values of ECG parameters. However, plasma lipids values of atherogenic diet group were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher than those of control diet group. Thus, hypercholesterolemia was induced in young farm pigs by feeding atherogenic diet in a relatively short time. This fact suggests that young farm pigs may be an useful model for further studies of the effect of hypercholesterolemia on cardiovascular function and the early pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.