The hypocholesterolemic effect of guar gum depends on dietary sucrose--studies in minipigs.
We examined the effect of guar gum on serum lipids if fed together with either 50.3% starch or 50.3% sucrose in a balanced diet to pigs. For this purpose, five adult hypercholesterolemic minipigs (total serum cholesterol 9.0 mmol/l) underwent three consecutive 8-week crossover (control or guar supplementation) feeding experiments (experiment I = cornstarch plus 15 g guar, experiment II = cornstarch plus 30 g guar, experiment III = sucrose plus 30 g guar per day). With the cornstarch-based diet neither 15 g nor 30 g guar gum had an influence on serum total cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Also, the cholesterol concentrations in the lipoprotein fractions did not change significantly during experiments I and II, yet total serum cholesterol concentration was about 20% lower (p less than 0.01) when guar gum was added to the sucrose diet in experiment III. In the presence of sucrose the supplementation of 30 g guar led to a significant decrease (p less than 0.05) of the cholesterol concentrations in the very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). There was also a tendency for decreased cholesterol levels in the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) after adding 30 g guar to the sucrose diet. Thus, the study demonstrates that guar gum exerts a hypocholesterolemic effect in the presence of sucrose in the diet, but not in the case of starch consumption.
Ahrens
F
F
Institut für Physiologie und Biochemie der Ernährung, Bundesanstalt für Milchforschung, Kiel, FRG.
Pfeuffer
M
M
Hagemeister
H
H
Barth
C A
CA
D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005685:Galactans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000178:diet therapy*; D008297:Male; D008351:Mannans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053149:Plant Gums; D013213:Starch / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013395:Sucrose / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D005685:Galactans; D008351:Mannans; D053149:Plant Gums; D014280:Triglycerides; D013395:Sucrose; D013213:Starch; D002784:Cholesterol; C007894:guar gum