STUDIES ON DATE WASTE DIETARY-FIBERS AS HYPOLIPIDEMIC AGENT IN RATS

Date waste dietary fibers were examined as a hypolipidemic agent. Whit e albino rats were fed on three experimental diets: I) high carbohydra te diet free of fiber; II) and III) diets consisted of diet I substitu ted with 100 g/kg of date waste dietary fibers cultured with Endomycop sis fibuligera at zero time and after 60 h of culturing respectively f or 8 weeks. The total lipids, total cholesterol, triglycerides and pho spholipids in the liver of rats given diets II and III were significan tly decreased over those rats fed the control diet throughout the feed ing period (8 weeks). The highest decrease in content of all these par ameters was produced by diet III. Comparing diets II and III with the control diet I, total serum lipids and low density lipoprotein cholest erol (LDL-cholesterol) were decreased by 32-48 %, while serum triglyce rides and total cholesterol levels were lowered in the groups fed diet s II and III by 23-35 % respectively. Concerning high density lipoprot ein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), the decrease was only 2-6 % in rats fed diets II and III. The highest decrease level was shown in the pho spholipids content (51-56 %) during all of the experimental period (8 weeks).