Effects of dietary calcium and fat on cholesterol in tissues and feces of young goats.

To examine the effects of amount of calcium and type of fat in the diet on distribution of cholesterol in plasma, several tissues and feces, 4-week-old goats (6 females and 18 males) were fed isocaloric diets consisting of goat milk supplemented with cholesterol and 1) soybean oil, 2) tallow, 3) soybean oil and CaCO3 or 4) tallow and CaCO3 for 20 weeks. Plasma cholesterol increased initially in all animals; plasma and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, however, were not affected by dietary fat or calcium. Goats fed CaCO3 excreted more calcium and ash in their feces and had greater cholesterol and fat concentrations in their livers. Neutral steroid, but not bile acid, excretion was greater in soybean oil-fed goats than in goats fed tallow. Soybean oil-fed goats had greater cholesterol concentrations in the viscera (minus liver) and tended to have greater cholesterol concentrations in the carcass and whole body. Aortas of soybean oil-fed goats exhibited greater fat deposition. In summary, dietary fat, but not calcium, significantly altered cholesterol disposition in young goats by affecting cholesterol deposition in tissues and excretion in feces, without a concomitant change in plasma cholesterol.