DIETARY ANTIOXIDANTS DO NOT REDUCE FATTY STREAK FORMATION IN THE C57BL 6 MOUSE ATHEROSCLEROSIS MODEL/

Epidemiological studies and animal trials have suggested that dietary antioxidants protect against atherosclerosis, To test this hypothesis, C57BL/6 mice were fed atherogenic diets supplemented with either vita min E or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Three groups of 20 mice were fed for 15 weeks on criers containing 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic a cid. The diet of two groups was supplemented with either 2% vitamin E or 1% BHT, The control group received no antioxidant supplements, The lowest mean st-rum cholesterol concentration was measured in mice supp lemented with vitamin E. Mean serum HDL cholesterol concentrations wer e highest in the control group, which also had the highest ratio of HD L cholesterol to total cholesterol. Mice fed BHT developed a significa ntly greater area. of aortic fatty streak lesions than the other two g roups. However, despite having a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile, mice fed vitamin E developed a level of fatty streak formation simila r to the control group. At the end of the trial, mice consuming the vi tamin E-and BHT-supplemented diets had higher serum total antioxidant levels than the control mice. Because of changes to lipid metabolism c aused by both vitamin E and BHT, the results of this study cannot be u sed to support the hypothesis that antioxidants confer protection agai nst atherosclerosis. The results do, however, raise the possibility th at other studies demonstrating an antiatherogenic action of vitamin E and BHT may have been influenced by their effects on lipid metabolism.