Adaptive effects of dietary ethanol in the pig: changes in plasma high-density lipoproteins and fecal steroid excretion and mutagenicity.

Six young mature male pigs were maintained on a high fat, low fiber "Western" type diet. Substitution of ethanol for sucrose raised plasma total cholesterol, an increase that was solely due to a rise in high-density lipoproteins. Plasma triacylglycerols and apo-B concentrations were unchanged and although apo-A1 rose with ethanol, this was not statistically significant. Ethanol did not alter total fecal steroids but both bile acids and the ratio of bile acids/neutral sterols were increased. In fecal extracts from these animals, mutagenic activity in the Ames bacterial test was also raised. The data are discussed in relation to the relationships between dietary ethanol and coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer.