Early nutrition with a high-cholesterol diet alters normal age-related changes in intestinal active transport.

This study was undertaken in the young and growing rabbit to establish the effect of feeding a high-cholesterol (2%) diet on the intestinal in vitro uptake of glucose, galactose, leucine, and cholic acid. Three groups of animals were fed standard Purina chow for 14, 28, and 42 days. A fourth group was fed chow for 14 days followed by high-cholesterol diet for 10 days followed by chow for 4 days. A fifth group was fed chow for 14 days followed by the high-cholesterol diet for 10 days followed by chow for 18 days. Short-term feeding with a high-cholesterol diet reversed the normal developmental decline in the jejunal uptake of some nutrients (e.g., glucose), enhanced the age-related uptake of other nutrients (e.g., galactose and leucine), but had no effect on others (e.g., jejunal uptake of cholic acid). Two weeks after stopping the high-cholesterol diet, there was enhanced jejunal uptake of all nutrients. Colonic uptake of glucose, galactose, and leucine was unresponsive to the effects of early development or of a high-cholesterol diet, whereas the colonic uptake of cholic acid did increase. This altered uptake is not explained by nonspecific mechanisms such as changes in body weight gain, intestinal mass, or effective resistance of the intestinal unstirred water layer. In summary, early feeding of rabbits for a short interval with a high-cholesterol diet is associated with transport changes that may persist, progress, or appear for the first time when the animals are switched from the high-cholesterol diet back to chow. Thus, early feeding with a high-cholesterol diet alters the normal development of intestinal transport function.