Effect of feeding a low protein diet during neonatal life on subsequent cholesterol and bile acid metabolism in adult guinea pigs.

The effect of feeding a low-protein (LP) diet during neonatal life of guinea pigs on subsequent cholesterol and bile acid metabolism when the animals were being fed a) stock diet and b) 0.25% cholesterol-containing diet, was investigated. Feeding a 10% protein diet caused a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in the fecal excretion of neutral sterols and bile acids without any change in plasma cholesterol. The LP-fed guinea pigs continued to excrete significantly (P less than 0.05) greater amount of neutral sterols and bile acids level after they had been switched to stock diet for several weeks. The pool sizes of lithocholic and chenodeoxycholic acids were lower in the LP group during the stock diet period. Upon challenge with 0.25% cholesterol diet, no significant differences between the two groups, regarding the above-mentioned parameters, were noted. The data suggest that neonatal exposure to a low-protein diet can affect sterol and bile acid metabolism such that the effect persists even when the animals have been switched to stock diet for several weeks.