A diet rich in leafy vegetable fiber improves cholesterol metabolism in high-cholesterol fed rats.
In the present study, the hypocholesterolemic effect of leaf vegetable (Jew's mallow) was studied in high-cholesterol fed rats. The animals were fed diets supplemented with cholesterol (0.25%) for 4 weeks. Leaf vegetable diet produced an important hypocholesterolemic action: it led to a significant lowering (p<0.05) of cholesterol in the plasma and liver, as well as of the atherogenic index and a significant increase (p<0.05) in cecal short chain fatty acids, with respect to the control group. Concurrently, total fecal neutral sterols in the excretion increased (p<0.05) and apparent absorption of dietary cholesterol was significantly depressed (-58%). The consumption of leaf vegetable (Jew's mallow) with a hypercholesterolemic diet improved the lipidemic profile and increased excretion of the total cholesterol end-products.
Ezz El-Arab
A M
AM
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, National Research Center, P.O. Box 12311, Giza, Egypt.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000737:chemistry; D001835:Body Weight; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000178:diet therapy*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013261:Sterols / Q000378:metabolism; D014675:Vegetables / Q000378:metabolism*
D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D013261:Sterols; D002784:Cholesterol