Effect of Unsaturated Fats Upon Lipemia and Conjunctival Circulation

Preprandial and postprandial serum lipids after meals of saturated or unsaturated fat were measured in 44 men, and blood sludging in 20 men, half of whom showed a behavior pattern (A) associated with proneness to clinical coronary artery disease. The average plasma cholesterol and both fasting and postprandial triglyceride values were higher (P<0.001) in men showing pattern A, regardless of whether a saturated or unsaturated fat was given. Seven of ten men with pattern A showed severe sludging after a meal of saturated fat, five of these seven also showed sludging after a meal of unsaturated fat. Sludging was virtually absent in the noncoronary-prone group. It was concluded that substitution of an unsaturated fat for a saturated fat carries no benefit under the circumstances tested.