As we all know, high dietary cholesterol level could be harmful for human health. There are a couple of studies on strategy of reducing egg cholesterol content but studies on broilers are limited. Some persons think that's because of lower cholesterol content of meat. Do you think that it's necessary to reduce blood or meat cholesterol in broilers?
Cholesterol is basic part of most of the animal cells membranes and other cell structures
I can not think about any way of reducing celullar cholesterol.
Not even modifying genetically the organism. And if so, broilers would probably suffer from terrible illness and would not probably ever could grow up to adults.
No evidence has ever been found that dietary cholesterol plays any part in either human blood cholesterol levels or in cardiovascular diseases - and it is not for want of trying. The idea that it might be was based on Gofman, et al's 1950 rabbit study[1], which had already been shown to be a worthless test 14 years previously.[2-3]
So, no problem; forget about cholesterol in chickens. Trying to modify their cholesterol will only make the birds as sick as we are.
References
1. Gofman JW, et al. The role of Lipids and Lipoproteins in Atherosclerosis.
Science 1950; 111: 166-171, 186.
2. Zeek.PM. A Chemical Analysis of Atherosclerotic Lesions in Human aortas. Am J Pathol. 1936; XII 115-127.
3. Landé KE, Sperry WM. Human atherosclerosis in relation to to the cholesterol content of the blood serum. Archi Pathol 1936; 22: 301-312.
During my MSc and PhD programes we had conducted so many experiments and showed that dietary cholesterol , increased the level of blood cholesterol and ultimately resulted to atherosclrose
There is no high quality evidence for or against a link between dietary cholesterol and CVD, mainly because high quality clinical trials looking at this association would cost a fortune. The bulk of the epidemiological trials show no significant associations, but this is not sufficient , in my opinion, to conclude that dietary cholesterol does not relate to CVD at all. Some evidence is available that dietary cholesterol can impact circulating cholesterol levels, but to a very small degree. Cholesterol metabolism is greatly influenced by genetics and the possibility that some individuals who are more responsive to dietary cholesterol and subsequent CVD complications should not be excluded. One potential example I would put forwards is individuals with the APOE E4 isoform have been shown to have higher cholesterol absorption, and to be more responsive to dietary fat and cholesterol levels, and they have higher CVD risk. This example does not imply a causative relationship, but the potential has not in my opinion been disproved. With regards to the low cholesterol broilers, regardless of the science, low cholesterol chicken meat would likely be appealing to consumers, and therefore commercially interesting.
Guys, this is not about finding a link betwen cholesterol and CVD.
Its about how to lower cholesterol in broilers, and strategies (if any) to decrease cholesterol in broilers.
I agree, Yago. But as there is conceivable benefit from lowering cholesterol in any animal, what it the point of the question? Or, to put it another way: why bother?
Well I dont understand your answer Barry, sorry.
The question is if we you think necessary to reduce blood or meat cholesterol in broilers.
We could talk about saturated fats as a issue, a lack of exercise, smoking, etc.... But that does not answer the main question, does it?
I assume that if Maziar wants to have info about CVD and cholesterol, would had ask about that.
My point is that there is no possible to lower cholesterol in a animal as it is part f all cells.
Is it possible to reduce ADN from cells keeping them alive? Well no.
So no matter if that would save us from being virus infected, because we can not to that so I think that there is no point on following "what would it happen if we could do something we can not do"
Barry, as you said no positive relationship have been found between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol but studies investigating the relationship between dietary cholesterol and atherosclerosis have raised questions regarding the contribution of dietary cholesterol to heart disease risk and the validity of dietary cholesterol restrictions based on these lines of evidence (American Heart Association, 1991).
You are right, of course, Yago. There is no way to lower cholesterol already incorporated in cell membranes, brain, etc. And also right that we are getting away from the original question.
That question is, what is the *importance* of reducing cholesterol. The answer to that is: It is not important - except, perhaps for the poor bird.
Yago, I also think that cholesterol is a major part of living organisms but do you think animal really need all the reserved content of tissue cholesterol?
You could supplement the broilers diets with a statin. Some types of red yeast rice contain statins. Not sure how commercially viable chicken on statins would be, but it likely lower their cholesterol.
I am not sure if this would work for cholesterol but it has been shown that the amino acid methionine supplementation reduces abdominal fat and fat content of poultry. It is likely that it could reduce cholesterol level too.
I realised that I did not answer the question. I am not really sure why the fuss on the level of cholesterol in meat. maybe it is to enable people eat more meat. As for the blood, maybe to maintain healthy broilers and by so doing, reduce the level in the meat to make the meat healthy for human consumption.