Blood lipids and their distribution in lipoproteins in hyperinsulinemic subjects fed three different levels of sucrose.

The effects of dietary sucrose on blood lipids and their distribution in lipoprotein fractions were determined in 12 males and 12 females diagnosed as carbohydrate-sensitive on the basis of an exaggerated insulin response to a sucrose load. The subjects were fed diets containing 5%, 18% or 33% of the total calories as sucrose for 6 weeks each in a crossover design. Initial body weights were essentially maintained. Total fasting triglycerides of males, but not females, increased significantly as the level of sucrose in the diet increased. Triglycerides in males averaged 132% more than in females and were significantly greater at all three levels of sucrose. Significant increases in total cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol were observed as the sucrose content of the diet increased. HDL cholesterol ratios decreased significantly in males as sucrose increased and for 5%, 18% and 33% were 0.34, 0.32 and 0.27, respectively. Abnormal lipoprotein phenotypes were most common when the subjects consumed 33% sucrose and least common when they consumed 5% sucrose. These results indicate that sucrose intake at levels now common in the American diet by carbohydrate-sensitive males could lead to a blood lipid profile associated with coronary risk.