Effect of sex hormones on fasting serum triglycerides in baboons given high-sucrose diets.

I . The incorporation of [14C]sucrose into serum triglyceride was shown to increase in both male and female baboons after a period of high sucrose intake. During the same period of high sucrose intake there was an increase in the fasting serum triglyceride concentration of the male baboons but not of the females. 2. When the male baboons were given a parenteral oestrogen preparation in addition to the sucrose diet the increase in fasting serum triglycerides was greatly reduced but there was little alteration in the extent of the incorporation of sucrose into serum triglyceride compared to that with the diet and no oestrogen. 3. A parenteral testosterone preparation given to the female baboons in addition to the sucrose diet had no effect on either the extent of incorporation of sucrose into triglyceride or the fasting serum concentrations of triglyceride. 4. The findings suggest that the differing patterns of fasting triglyceride response in the male and female baboons to the sucrose diet may have resulted from oestrogen enhancing the removal of triglyceride from the serum of the female animals.