SERUM CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS IN EARLY INFANCY

Abstract. Ginsburg, B.-E. and Zetterstrom, R. (Department of Paediatrics, Karolinska Institute, St. Goran's Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden). Serum cholesterol concentrations in early infancy. Acta Paediatr Scand, 69: 581, 1980.—Sixteen healthy term infants were followed from birth to the age of 3–6 months. Total cholesterol, VLDL-LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were determined in cord serum, in serum obtained 3–10 days after birth (mean age 4.6 days) and at the age of 3–6 months (mean 4.1 months). Mean total cholesterol increased by 1.5 mmol/l during the first 3–10 days and by an additional 1.1 mmol/l during the following 3–6 months. Mean VLDL-LDL-cholesterol increased by 1.0 mmol/l and 0.9 mmol/l, respectively, and mean HDL-cholesterol by 0.4 mmol/l and 0.3 mmol/l, respectively, during the same periods. The HDL-cholesterol: VLDL-LDL-cholesterol ratio thus fell from 1.5 at birth to 0.8 at the age of 3–10 days and to 0.6 at 3–6 months. In eight breast-fed infants, the mean total cholesterol level increased by 2.9 mmol/l from birth to the age of 3–6 months. This increase was significantly higher than the increase found in eight infants who received a cow's milk formula—i.e. 2.3 mmol/l. Free and esterified cholesterol were determined in 10 infants. Free cholesterol accounted for about one-third of the total cholesterol from birth to the age of 3–6 months.