Sucrose sensitivity of patients with coronary artery disease.

Various loads of simple carbohydrates were fed to 148 patients with known coronary-artery disease (CAD) for 4 days in the Clinical Research Center. The 148 patients were grouped according to the diet regimen tested-sucrose (low and high), glucose, and fructose. A high-sucrose diet was fed to 29 control subjects. Diets containing 2 g of simple carbohydrate (predominantly either sucrose or glucose) per kilogram of body weight per day had no significant effect on fasting plasma glucose, serum triglycerides, or serum free fatty acids. However, diets containing 4 g of simple carbohydrate (predominantly sucrose) or 2 g fructose per kilogram of body weight per day produced a significant rise in serum triglycerides with decreases in fasting plasma glucose and free fatty acids. Serum cholesterol diminished in all the diet groups, probably because of the decrease fat and cholesterol intakes. The increase of serum triglycerides in CAD patients receiving simple carbohydrate at the 4-g/kg rate was significantly greater than in the normal control subjects fed the same diet, suggesting a sensitivity of CAD patients to this stimulus. No significant correlation could be demonstrated between changes in serum triglycerides and the extent of CAD (one, two, or three vessels) as determined from coronary angiograms.