TY - JOUR
T1 - High dietary fat and cholesterol exacerbates chronic vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs
AU - Frikke-Schmidt, Henriette Rønne
AU - Tveden-Nyborg, Pernille Yde
AU - Birck, Malene Muusfeldt
AU - Lykkesfeldt, Jens
PY - 2011/1/14
Y1 - 2011/1/14
N2 - Vitamin C deficiency - or hypovitaminosis C defined as a plasma concentration below 23μm - is estimated to affect hundreds of millions of people in the Western world, in particular subpopulations of low socio-economic status that tend to eat diets of poor nutritional value. Recent studies by us have shown that vitamin C deficiency may result in impaired brain development. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate if a poor diet high in fat and cholesterol affects the vitamin C status of guinea pigs kept on either sufficient or deficient levels of dietary ascorbate (Asc) for up to 6 months with particular emphasis on the brain. The present results show that a high-fat and cholesterol diet significantly decreased the vitamin C concentrations in the brain, irrespective of the vitamin C status of the animal (P<0001). The brain Asc oxidation ratio only depended on vitamin C status (P<00001) and not on the dietary lipid content. In plasma, the levels of Asc significantly decreased when vitamin C in the diet was low or when the fat/cholesterol content was high (P<00001 for both). The Asc oxidation ratio increased both with low vitamin C and with high fat and cholesterol content (P<00001 for both). We show here for the first time that vitamin C homoeostasis of brain is affected by a diet rich in fat and cholesterol. The present findings suggest that this type of diet increases the turnover of Asc; hence, individuals consuming high-lipid diets may be at increased risk of vitamin C deficiency.
AB - Vitamin C deficiency - or hypovitaminosis C defined as a plasma concentration below 23μm - is estimated to affect hundreds of millions of people in the Western world, in particular subpopulations of low socio-economic status that tend to eat diets of poor nutritional value. Recent studies by us have shown that vitamin C deficiency may result in impaired brain development. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate if a poor diet high in fat and cholesterol affects the vitamin C status of guinea pigs kept on either sufficient or deficient levels of dietary ascorbate (Asc) for up to 6 months with particular emphasis on the brain. The present results show that a high-fat and cholesterol diet significantly decreased the vitamin C concentrations in the brain, irrespective of the vitamin C status of the animal (P<0001). The brain Asc oxidation ratio only depended on vitamin C status (P<00001) and not on the dietary lipid content. In plasma, the levels of Asc significantly decreased when vitamin C in the diet was low or when the fat/cholesterol content was high (P<00001 for both). The Asc oxidation ratio increased both with low vitamin C and with high fat and cholesterol content (P<00001 for both). We show here for the first time that vitamin C homoeostasis of brain is affected by a diet rich in fat and cholesterol. The present findings suggest that this type of diet increases the turnover of Asc; hence, individuals consuming high-lipid diets may be at increased risk of vitamin C deficiency.
KW - Former LIFE faculty
KW - Vitamin C deficiency
KW - High-fat diet
KW - Brain
U2 - 10.1017/S0007114510003077
DO - 10.1017/S0007114510003077
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0007-1145
VL - 105
SP - 54
EP - 61
JO - British Journal of Nutrition
JF - British Journal of Nutrition
IS - 1
ER -