ISMNT NEWS: Disease Prevention by Exploring Molecular Mechanisms Linked to Nutrition

ISMNT News #18 relates to the previous controversial discussions on the role of cholesterol in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The cited study shows that animals even in the wild state consuming a non-atherogenic diet exhibit atherosclerosis. This has been shown also previously for deer and turkeys. We have to conclude that the vasculature is prone to injury (starting at the points of high wall stress). If aggrevating factors (high cholesterol, sustained infections, radicals) come in, processes evolve over years leading to a common endpoint, i.e. atherosclerosis. Obviously, it would be difficult to decide retrospectively what has caused the initial injury. It should thus be our goal to avoid or reduce influences that aggrevate processes leading to final atherosclerosis. There can be no doubt that high cholesterol levels belong to these detrimental influences.

The key reference is by:

Chamberlain J, Nelson G, Milton K

FATTY ACID PROFILES OF MAJOR FOOD SOURCES OF HOWLER MONKEYS (ALOUATTA PALLIATA) IN THE NEOTROPICS

Department of Anatomy, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, California 94115.

in

Experientia 1993 Sep 15;49(9):820-824

Wild howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) get most of their calories from carbohydrates (65%) and fats (18%) of native tropical plants, but little is known about their intake of individual fatty acids.

The fatty acid composition of several natural food sources of howler monkeys collected in Panama was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. The predominant fatty acids were palmitic (30%), linoleic (23%), alpha-linolenic (16%) and oleic (15%). Fatty acids with less than 16, and more than 18, carbon chains were uncommon (0-7%). Although total saturated fatty acids were high in some specific food sources (22-54% of total fatty acids and 8 energy %), most of the calories from fat in the animals' diets are derived from mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (9.75 energy %). All food sources had significant amounts of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (2.9 energy %).

In terms of human diets, the howler monkey's fat consumption would not be considered atherogenic. Unless these animals show a particular adverse susceptibility to dietary fat, it is unlikely that their fat intake is the primary cause of the low, but significant, incidence of atherosclerosis that develops in these animals in the wild state.