Human Plasma Heparin Levels and Lipemia Clearing Activity After Ingestion of Animal and Vegetable Fat

¹ From the Division of Laboratories, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Los Angeles, California

Plasma heparin levels were determined in 21 normal individuals before and after the ingestion of cream and in 11 of this group before and after oral intake of a safflower oil emulsion. Following cream, circulating heparin was unchanged in ten individuals, increased in nine and decreased in two. The data suggest that oral cream intake is a stimulus for the release of heparin into the bloodstream, but the results are not significant. After the vegetable oil, heparin was unchanged in seven subjects, increased in two and decreased in two. Lipemia clearing activity was unchanged, increased or decreased after both types of fat intake. The results do not indicate that unsaturated fats are a more effective stimulus for the heparin-lipoprotein lipase system than saturated fats.