EFFECT OF THE TYPE OF DIETARY-FAT ON CHOLESTEROLEMIA IN RABBITS FED BREWERS-YEAST

To determine the effects of the kind of dietary fat on cholesterolemia in rabbits fed with brewer's yeast, diets based on soybean protein is olate or on a mixture of soybean protein isolate and brewer's yeast (1 :1) were used. They were combined with corn oil and coconut oil in fou r balanced, cholesterol-free diets. Twenty four rabbits were fed with 79 grams of diet per day during 3 weeks. After 14 hours of fasting on the 22nd day, blood samples from the marginal ear vein were collected, animals were sacrified and their livers dissected. There were no sign ificant differences in the final plasma concentrations of the total li pids, tryglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-chole sterol, and (low density lipoprotein + very low density lipoprotein)-c holesterol, even though groups fed yeast presented the highest values. Liver lipids were not affected by dietary treatment. However, when co mparing the final plasma cholesterol with the initial cholesterol, a s ignificant increase in the groups which consumed yeast with corn oil ( 48 mg/dL) and coconut oil (91 mg/dL) was observed in comparison with t he groups which only consumed soybean protein with corn oil (21 mg/dL) and coconut oil (36 mg/dL). The two-way variance analysis of these da ta showed that there was no fat-protein interaction and the hyperchole sterolemic effects observed were associated with brewer's yeast consum ption.