Effects of Dietary Carbohydrates on Body Lipid Composition and on Some Enzymatic Activities in the Rat

It has been studied in the rat the influence of different dietary carbohydrates on the lipid composition of serum, liver and aorta and on some enzymatic activities in the liver. The following experimental diets were studied: (a) normal diet, (b) high fat diet, (c) normal diet enriched with cholesterol and thiouracil, (d) high fat diet enriched with cholesterol and thiouracil, using either glucose, or sucrose, or starch as carbohydrate source for each diet. Soluble carbohydrates, expecially sucrose, in normal diet, induce a significant rise in liver triglycerides and a proportional increase of the liver glucose-6-phosphate- and 6-phosphogluconate-dehydrogenases. With both diets integrated with cholesterol and thiouracil variations concern only cholesterol: less elevated levels of cholesterol in serum and liver were observed with diets containing starch; higher values of esterified cholesterol were found in the aortas of rats treated with the ‘atherogenic’ diet containing sucrose.