Alan I. Fleischman

Long term human studies on the lipid effects of oral calcium

Ingestion of 2 g of supplemental dietary calcium carbonate daily over a period of one year by eight hyperlipemic men and two hyperlipemic women caused a significant 25% decrease in serum cholesterol, after these subjects had shown stable levels for the previous year, and when compared to a group without therapy. Body weights for both groups remained stable throughout the period of observation. The experimental group also showed a reversal in the cholesterol-phospholipid ratio from a preexperimental ratio of 1.04 to a ratio of 0.92. In addition there was a 113 mg per 100 ml decrease in serum triglycerides and a 48 mg per 100 ml decrease in serum phospholipids, but these were not statistically significant due to the large between individual variations and the limited sample size. Calcium carbonate should be considered as a potential agent for usage in long term studies designed to produce hypolipemia, since it appears to be effective and without significant side effects.

In vivo platelet function in acute myocardial infarction, acute cerbrovascular accidents and following surgery

Abstract In vivo platelet aggregation time is significantly decreased and platelet disaggregation time is significantly increased in patients suffering an acute myocardial infarction or acute cerebrovascular accident. Postsurgical patients exhibited a similar effect.

The 5-year experience of modified fat diets on younger men with coronary heart disease.

This is a study of 100 men, 30 to 50 years old, with documented coronary artery disease and past myocardial infarction who were placed under dietary management with a 28% fat diet. One hundred men whose diets were not managed were matched with regard to age at entry to the study, age at infarction, number of infarctions, blood pressure level, degree of angina, and serum cholesterol level among other factors. Over a period of 5 years the diet-managed group experienced and maintained a significant reduction in serum cholesterol level which the nondiet-managed group did not. Under the diet and experimental conditions employed, with saturated fat content below 9% of calories, and cholesterol intake below 400 mg per day, the degree of unsaturation of the fats in the experimental diets did not appear to influence serum cholesterol value or mortality. The serum triglyceride level was significantly lower in the diet-managed group than in the nondiet-managed group; this was presumably related to weight reduction. In the group under dietary management, fatal and nonfatal myocardial reinfarction rates were lower but were statistically significantly so only for the fatal infarction rates in men under age 45. Serum phospholipids above 220 mg/100 ml were associated with a significantly lower rate of recurrent infarction.

Effect of Stress Due to Anticipated Minor Surgery upon in Vivo Platelet Aggregation in Humans

When measured just prior to hospital admission, platelet aggregation was faster and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher compared to measurements just prior to surgery and upon discharge fromthe hospital.

Blood and liver lipids in torpid and aroused little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus

1. 1. Levels of serum and liver lipids were determined in torpid and aroused (4 hr post-torpor) Myotis lucifugus captured during hibernation. 2. 2. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were not affected by arousal. 3. 3. The serum phospholipid concentration decreased 58 per cent and the serum free fatty acid concentration increased 266 per cent following arousal. 4. 4. Liver total lipid concentration decreased 68 per cent after arousal, but there was no change in liver weight. 5. 5. The decrease in the liver total lipid concentration was due to decreases in the cholesterol (87 per cent), triglyceride (73 per cent), phospholipid (54 per cent) and free fatty acid (90 per cent) concentrations.

The hypolipidemic effect of calcium-containing compounds and vitamin D2 in the rat

Two per cent dietary calcium carbonate alone (Group 1), in combination with vitamin D2 (Group 2) or oyster shell calcium with vitamin D2 (Group 3), was added to an atherogenic diet containing 20% fat and 2% cholesterol and fed to adult male Holtzman strain rats to evaluate the hypolipidemic effects of these supplements. A control group received the same diet, but the calcium was replaced by sand. After 21 days the serum cholesterol concentrations were lower by 35, 27 and 22%, respectively, in experimental groups 1, 2 and 3, compared to the controls. Serum triglyceride concentrations were lower by 10% in experimental groups 1, 2 and 3, compared to the controls. Serum triglyceride concentrations were lower by 10% in groups 1 and 2, and 17% in group 3. Concomitant with these decreases in serum lipids, there were increases in fecal 3-β-hydroxy-5-ene sterol, total glyceride and free fatty acid excretion. Serum calcium was elevated in the rats fed diets containing calcium when compared with the controls, whereas serum magnesium was depressed in thesy animals. Less calcium was excreted in the feces of rats fed calcium carbonate in combination with vitamin D than in those fed calcium carbonate. The results indicate a possible means of simultaneously treating both calcium deficiency and hyperlipidemia with a single agent.

The effect of a polyunsaturated diet upon adipose-tissue fatty acids in young coronary males. A five-year cohort study.

The fatty acid composition in the adipose tissue of 38 electrocardiographycally confirmed coronary males, mean age 43.7 years, at ideal weight on a 30%-of-calories controlled-fat diet, containing approximately 11.4% of calories as linoleic acid, was studied. The initial linoleic acid concentration in the adipose tissue was approximately 11 mole % of total fatty acids; for approximately the first 12 months it rose slightly and then rapidly increased to about 20% after 24 months. The overall response is sigmoidal in form and fits the equation: 1/y=0.025+0.066 (0.975)x in which y represents the adipose tissue linoleate as mole percentage of total adipose tissue fatty acids and x is the time in months.The relative increase in linoleic acid is not attributable to a decrease in any specific fatty acid.

Corticoid release and gluconeogenesis following triglyceride ingestion in the rat

Following a 5.0 ml triglyceride (cottonseed oil) gavage, there was a 60% elevation in the blood glucose concentration by the seventh hour in naturally occurring hypertriglyceridemic rats of the Long Evans strain. Glycogenolysis from liver or gastrocnemius muscle glycogen did not seem to be the source of this glucose. A significant elevation in the plasma total amino acid concentration concomitant with a peak in the blood urea nitrogen concentration by the fifth hour after gavage implicated gluconeogenesis. A prolonged plasma total corticoid elevation from hours 1 1/2 through 3 post-ingestion, which did not occur in non-fed or mineral oil-fed cohorts, supported gluconeogenesis. The serum total protein concentration rose significantly and progressively to a peak by the eighth hour due to an elevation in the albumin concentration. These elevations in serum proteins appeared to support glucocorticoid mediated gluconeogenesis. Adrenalectomy appeared to negate triglyceride-induced elevation in serum free amino acids, urea nitrogen, total protein and albumin.

Strain differences in the hypolipemic action of dietary calcium in mature male rats

Two strains of rats, Holtzman and Wistar, were found to differ significantly in serum and fecal lipid response when fed a corn-soya diet containing 18% added cocoa butter or corn oil and 0.08% or 1.2% calcium. Interactions of strain with fat and with calcium were noted. The Holtzman rat usually had lower serum and tissue lipid levels and higher fecal lipid levels than the Wistar rat. The magnitude of the strain differences is sufficient to explain the incompatibility of results of the different investigators who have been studying lipid metabolism.

Plasma lipid and glucose levels in the adrenalectomized rat following triglyceride ingestion

Adrenalectomy did not significantly alter plasma cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids in fasted naturally hypertriglyceridemic rats. Oral administration of cottonseed oil resulted in elevations in plasma cholesterol and phospholipids within 2 hr. Adrenalectomy negated these elevations. Triglycerides rose to an equal extent in both groups at the same time. A secondary rise in plasma glucose was noted at about 7 hr in the control rats; this rise was also negated by adrenalectomy.