| Abstract: | In rats fed a semisynthetic diet, streptozotocin-induced diabetes 45 mg/kg, 17 days] led to hypertriglyceridaemia 6.4 mmol/l], to a marked increase in the proportion of plasma cholesterol present in the very low density lipoproteins VLDL] to 40 %] and to a decrease in the amount present in the high density lipoproteins HDL] to 34 %]. The addition of 0.25 % cholesterol to the above diet led in healthy rats to hypercholesterolaemia 4.3 mmol/l] and to similar changes in the distribution of cholesterol in the lipoproteins. In diabetic rats, the same diet led to pronounced hypertriglyceridaemia 13.8 mmol/l] and hypercholesterolaemia 18.9 mmol/l], while the proportion of HDL-borne plasma cholesterol fell still further to 6 % and rose in the VLDL to 70 %. The addition of pectin to the diet in 6 % concentration markedly inhibited triglyceridaemia 3.3 mmol/l] and cholesterolaemia 4.4 mmol/l] and raised the proportion of HDL plasma cholesterol to 47 %. |
