The effects of a high-carbohydrate low-fat cholesterol-restricted diet on plasma lipid, lipoprotein, and apoprotein concentrations in insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus.

Six women with well-defined insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied for 4 weeks during a control diet containing 45% of the calories as carbohydrate, 40% fat (P/S ratio 0.14), 15% protein, and 580 mg of cholesterol, and for 6 weeks during a high-carbohydrate low-fat cholesterol-restricted diet with 65% carbohydrate, 20% fat (P/S ratio 1.40), 15% protein, and 62 mg cholesterol. All subjects completed both dietary periods in a crossover experimental design. Individual menus were subject-selected from a calculated exchange list containing conventional food items consistent with current American dietary patterns. The diets were well-tolerated by all subjects. Total plasma cholesterol decreased from 201 to 156 mg/100 mL (P less than 0.05) during the cholesterol-restricted diet, while total plasma triglyceride (TG) increased from 96 to 115 mg/100 mL (P less than 0.01). During this same period, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and VLDL-TG increased from 17 to 21 mg/100 mL (P less than 0.05) and from 59 to 76 mg/100 mL (P less than 0.001), respectively, while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased from 126 to 90 mg/100 mL (P less than 0.05) and from 50 to 39 mg/100 mL (P less than 0.05), respectively. LDL-C/HDL-C and total-C/HDL-C ratios were lower but not significantly different, and LDL-TG and HDL-TG were unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)