Effect of Sterols in Dietary Fats on Whole Blood Viscosity of Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHRSP)

Abstract

Previously, we reported that a diet containing canola oil shortened the life span of Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHRSP) compared with diets containing other vegetable oils, and the phytosterol in dietary oil might induce the short-lived activity. In this study we discussed the effect of dietary phytosterol on whole blood viscosity of SHRSP using a Micro Channel array Flow Analyzer (MC-FAN) as a capillary vessel model. The whole blood viscosity of the perilla oil group was significantly lower than that of the canola oil group. These results might be induced by the increase of phytosterol compositon (i.e. the decrease of cholesterol composition) in the membranes of red blood cells.