PMID: 8945941Nov 1, 1996Paper

High plasma cholesterol, but low triglycerides and plaque-free arteries, in Mexican free-tailed bats

The American Journal of Physiology
E P WidmaierThomas H Kunz

Abstract

Female mammals typically become hyperphagic from mid- to late pregnancy and during lactation. Mexican free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana, double their nightly food intake from late pregnancy to peak lactation and consume an insect diet that is exceptionally high in fat. During late pregnancy and throughout lactation, fasting plasma levels of cholesterol in this insectivorous bat are high (215 +/- 8 mg/dl) and are nearly 10-fold higher than in three species of Old World frugivorous bats. Fasting triglycerides were unexpectedly low in T. brasiliensis (25 +/- 2 mg/dl), despite evidence of high fat intake during nightly feeding bouts (postprandial cholesterol and triglycerides, 268 +/- 18 and 122 +/- 20 mg/dl, respectively). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were extraordinarily high (124 +/- 5 mg/dl) and unaffected by feeding. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were correspondingly low (86 +/- 7 mg/dl). This unusual plasma lipid profile was not associated with coronary or aortic atherosclerosis, nor was there evidence of hyperglycemia or hyperinsulinemia. A high-fat diet and high levels of cholesterol in T. brasiliensis are not correlated with cardiovascular disease or (possibly) insulin resis...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 27, 2000·American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology·N Kronfeld-SchorE P Widmaier
Jan 19, 2008·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological Genetics and Physiology·Raj Kamal Srivastava, Amitabh Krishna
Oct 12, 2019·Biogerontology·Francisco Alejandro Lagunas-Rangel

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