Programming of cholesterol metabolism by breast or formula feeding.Programming of cholesterol metabolism by breast or formula feeding.

The authors tested the hypothesis that breast or formula feeding and cholesterol intake during the neonatal period influence cholesterol metabolism and arterial fatty streaks in young adult baboons. As young adults, breast-fed baboons had more extensive arterial fatty streaks than formula-fed baboons. This difference could be accounted for by differences in the lipoprotein ratios. These results demonstrate that breast and formula feeding differentially modify cholesterol metabolism. This may influence the development of chronic diseases.