A diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids improves the lipid profile of mice previously on a diet rich in saturated fatty acids

This study investigated whether switching from a diet rich in saturated fatty acids (SAFAs) to a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or to one with equal amounts of MUFAs-SAFAs favorably affects the lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic mice. C57BL/6 mice (n = 82) were allocated into 4 groups. The first group (control, n = 10) was fed standard chow. The 3 remaining groups (n = 24 mice/group) were fed a SAFA-rich diet for 8 weeks and were then allocated for 16 weeks to either a MUFA-rich diet, an equal in MUFAs-SAFAs-rich diet, or continued the previous SAFA-rich diet. After 8 weeks, mice consuming SAFA-rich diet had increased weight, total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (P <.05 vs baseline). At week 24, MUFA-rich and MUFA-SAFA rich diets decreased TC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (P <.05) compared with week 8. In conclusion, switching to MUFA-rich diets or substituting half of the SAFAs with MUFAs can reverse diet-induced-hypercholesterolemia.