CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING EFFECTS IN HAMSTERS OF BETA-GLUCAN-ENRICHED BARLEY FRACTION, DEHULLED WHOLE BARLEY, RICE BRAN, AND OAT BRAN AND THEIR COMBINATIONS

The cholesterol-lowering activity of a beta-glucan-enriched barley fra ction (GEB) (fed at several levels), milled dehulled whole barley, sta bilized rice bran, oat bran, and 1:1 dietary fiber combinations of GEB with rice bran or oat bran, and rice bran with cat bran was investiga ted in 0.25% cholesterol-fed hamsters. All diets contained 10% total d ietary fiber (TDF), 9.0% fat, and 3.1% N, except one GEB diet with 13. 9% TDF. beta-Glucan levels of the cereal diets ranged from 0.8 to 6.0% . After 21 days, total plasma cholesterol was significantly reduced by oat bran, the rice bran-oat bran combination, and the 13.9% TDF GEB d iets as compared with the cellulose control diet. The ratio of high-de nsity lipoprotein cholesterol to total plasma cholesterol was maintain ed. Liver cholesterol was significantly reduced in hamsters by all tes t diets, except dehulled whole barley. The viscous property of diets c ontaining cereal fractions suggests that plasma cholesterol-lowering b y oat bran and GEB (13.9% TDF) may result in reduced absorption or rea bsorption of lipids, bile acids, and their metabolites.