EFFECTS OF DIETARY OAT, BARLEY, AND GUAR GUMS ON SERUM AND LIVER LIPID CONCENTRATIONS IN DIET-INDUCED HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIC RATS

Effects of dietary oat, barley, and guar gums on serum and liver trigl yceride or cholesterol concentrations were examined in diet-induced hy pertriglyceridemic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a hypertrig lyceridemic diet that contained 20% coconut oil, 17.5% fructose, 17.5% sucrose, and 5% cellulose at 4 weeks of age for 14 days. In the gum-s upplemented diets, 2% cellulose was replaced by oat gum, barley gum, o r guar gum. Hypertriglyceridemia was observed in the control group, wh ereas serum cholesterol concentration was not increased. All of the gu ms lowered serum and liver cholesterol concentrations except barley gu m which had no significant effect on liver cholesterol. Both oat and b arley gums suppressed the elevation of serum and liver triglyceride co ncentrations but guar gum had no effect.