Bijlenga G, Dahme E, Detweiler D K, Gresham G A, Grünberg W, Howard A N, Kagan A R, Kaplan M M, Van Nie C J, Rubarth S, Sternby N H, Stünzi H, Uemura K, Whitney J C
Bull World Health Organ. 1967;36(3):457-65.
A survey of spontaneously occurring fatty streaks and fibrous plaques, considered as atherosclerosis, in 1637 swine in different European countries and the USA, using a standardized procedure, was undertaken to determine whether significant differences exist in the occurrence and extent of the disease in various groups of animals. At the same time a preliminary study on the possible relation of any differences observed in atherosclerosis to certain environmental and constitutional factors was carried out with the ultimate goal of contributing to the understanding of analogous problems in man.STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES OF FATTY STREAKS AND FIBROUS PLAQUES WERE NOTED IN RELATION TO: (a) increasing age, starting at 6 to 7 months, the earliest age period studied; (b) geographical locality; and (c) considerable as compared with moderate or slight physical activity at 1 year of age. Although not statistically significant, there was also a suggestive trend towards more atherosclerosis in pigs consuming soft water as compared with those consuming hard water.While these correlations may represent contributory factors to the increases of the changes noted in the abdominal aortas, it is not possible to pinpoint the importance of individual components because of the limited data and the large number of variables involved in this preliminary study. Studies in swine and other animals are being encouraged in which all variables but one are being kept constant to determine their possible role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions.
采用标准化程序，对欧洲不同国家和美国的1637头猪体内自然发生的脂肪条纹和纤维斑块（视为动脉粥样硬化）进行了调查，以确定不同动物群体中该疾病的发生率和严重程度是否存在显著差异。同时，对观察到的动脉粥样硬化差异与某些环境和体质因素之间的可能关系进行了初步研究，最终目的是有助于理解人类的类似问题。
（a）从6至7个月（研究的最早年龄阶段）开始年龄增长；（b）地理位置；（c）与1岁时适度或轻微的体力活动相比，大量的体力活动。虽然没有统计学意义，但与饮用硬水的猪相比，饮用软水的猪出现更多动脉粥样硬化的趋势也较为明显。
虽然这些相关性可能是腹主动脉中所观察到变化增加的促成因素，但由于数据有限且该初步研究涉及大量变量，因此无法确定各个因素的重要性。目前正在鼓励对猪和其他动物进行研究，在这些研究中除一个变量外其他所有变量均保持不变，以确定它们在动脉粥样硬化病变发展中的可能作用。
