TITLE:
Garbanzo Diet Lowers Cholesterol in Hamsters
AUTHORS:
Talwinder S. Kahlon, Roberto J. Avena-Bustillos, Mei-Chen M. Chiu
KEYWORDS:
Hamster; Lipoproteins; Cholesterol; HDL; LDL; Garbanzo; Bengal Gram; Lentils
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.3 No.3,
March
21,
2012
ABSTRACT: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect garbanzo containing diet on cholesterol in hamster fed cholesterol containing high fat diet. It was hypothesized that garbanzo diet would lower cholesterol in hamsters, based on previous observation of the bile acid binding potential of garbanzo. Garbanzo (Cicer arietinum), Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum), lentils (Lens culinaris), soy protein isolate (SPI) or casein (control) diets were fed to hamsters for three weeks. Initial and final animal weights, feed intakes and plasma triglycerides values were similar among all the treatments. Garbanzo containing diet significantly lowered total plasma cholesterol (TC) compared with casein control. There was 17% reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in hamsters fed the garbanzo diet; this difference was not significant due to high variability in within treatment values. Plasma cholesterol values with lentils diet were similar those with the control diet. Liver lipid and liver cholesterol values with lentils diet were higher than all the other treatments. Data suggest that garbanzo diet has the potential to lower the risk of atherosclerosis and improve human health.