Social Environment as a Factor in Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis

Rabbits on a 2 percent cholesterol diet were individually petted, held, talked to, and played with on a regular basis. Measurements of aortic affinity for a Sudan stain, serum cholesterol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure were made at the end of the experimental period. Compared to control grou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1980-06, Vol.208 (4451), p.1475-1476
Main Authors: Nerem, Robert M., Levesque, Murina J., Cornhill, J. Fredrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aorta - pathology
Arteriosclerosis - etiology
Arteriosclerosis - physiopathology
Arteriosclerosis - psychology
Atherosclerosis
Blood Pressure
Cholesterol - blood
Control groups
Diet, Atherogenic
Heart Rate
Male
Mental illness
Psychological stress
Rabbits
Serum cholesterol
Social Environment
Surface areas
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Summary:Rabbits on a 2 percent cholesterol diet were individually petted, held, talked to, and played with on a regular basis. Measurements of aortic affinity for a Sudan stain, serum cholesterol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure were made at the end of the experimental period. Compared to control groups, which were given the same diet and normal laboratory animal care, the experimental groups showed more than a 60 percent reduction in the percentage of aortic surface area exhibiting sudanophilic lesions, even though serum cholesterol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure were comparable.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.7384790