The Role of Carbohydrates in Lipid Metabolism

The publications which have been reviewed support the concept that hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, as they relate to diet, are influenced by the type of carbohydrates as well as by fats and cholesterol.Experiments in man suggest that the concentration of cholesterol and lipids in the blood can be altered by interchanging complex carbohydrates and sugar in the diet.The experiments reported here were designed to compare the effects of feeding diets equal in caloric value and containing the same percentage of proteins, carbohydrates and fats but in which the source of carbohydrates was changed from sugar to complex carbohydrates. The following observations were made: (1) Replacement of sugar by complex carbohydrates was followed by a decrease in the concentrations of cholesterol and glycerides in the blood of man. (2) Subjects complained of hunger when fed the sugar diet but often felt “stuffed” when they ate the complex carbohydrate diet. (3) The distribution of meals was an important factor in the lipid metabolism of these subjects. Feeding three equal meals daily rather than the customary pattern of unequal meals resulted in lower levels of cholesterol and glycerides in the blood.