title: Dietary calcium decreases plasma cholesterol level only in female but not in male hamster fed a high cholesterol diet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of dietary calcium on plasma lipoprotein profile in castrated and ovariectomized hamsters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male, castrated, female and ovariectomized hamsters (n=36 each group) were randomly divided into three sub-groups (n=12) and fed one of the three diets containing 0, 2, and 8 g calcium per kg diet for a period of six weeks. Changes in plasma lipoprotein profile were monitored at the end of week 0, 3 and 6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma total cholesterol (TC), non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), triacylglycerols (TG) and TC/HDL-C were decreased only in intact female and ovariectomized hamsters. In contrast, three levels of dietary calcium had no effect on lipoprotein profiles in both intact male and castrated hamsters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beneficial modification of lipoprotein profile by dietary calcium was gender-dependent at least in hamsters.
authors.affiliation: Food & Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Ka Ying
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yin Tong
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jing Nan
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Kin Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Yuan Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhen Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol