Effect of a Diet Deficient in Lipotropic Factors on the Lipoproteins of Rat Serum.

The cholesterol and triglyceride content of the high- and low-density lipopro-teins of rats on a choline deficient diet for at least 3 weeks has been compared with that of controls on the same diet supplemented with choline. The deficient animals showed only about one-half the concentration of these lipids in the low-density lipoprotein fraction compared with the controls. Supplementation of the diet of the deficient animals with choline raised the concentration of these lipids to normal after a few days. The cholesterol content of the high-density lipopro-teins seemed not to be affected by the deficiency state. The triglyceride content, however, was depressed.