Deferred effects of preweaning diet on atherosclerosis in adolescent baboons.

We examined the effects of breast and formula feeding during infancy on the serum lipoproteins and on atherosclerosis in young adult baboons. Baboons were breast-fed (n = 13) or formula-fed (n = 32) until weaning at 16 weeks of age and thereafter they were fed a diet containing 1.7 mg cholesterol/kcal and 40% of calories as lard until 5 years of age. At 12 weeks of age, breast-fed baboons had higher serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (HDL-C, 68 vs. 51 mg/dl), lower serum triglyceride concentration (37 vs. 68 mg/dl), and lower very low density plus low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL + LDL-C) to HDL-C ratio (0.65 vs. 0.98) than formula-fed infants. From weaning to 92 weeks of age, breast-fed baboons had a lower serum triglyceride concentration (23 vs. 38 mg/dl) than formula-fed baboons. After weaning, the VLDL + LDL-C/HDL-C ratio increased from 0.65 to 1.0 in breast-fed baboons, but decreased from 0.98 to 0.72 in formula-fed baboons. From 92 to 246 weeks of age, the VLDL + LDL-C/HDL-C ratio was consistently higher in breast-fed baboons compared to formula-fed baboons. At 5 years of age, baboons breast-fed as infants had a greater percentage of intimal surface area involved with atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta, the iliac-femoral artery, the aortic arch, the brachial artery, and the carotid artery, than did those formula-fed as infants. The greater prevalence of lesions in breast-fed baboons was explained mainly by the higher VLDL + LDL-C/HDL-C ratio.