Abstract
The effects of various amounts of oat and barley gums added to the diet on plasma and liver lipid concentrations were examined in cholesterol-fed rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 5 weeks, were fed diets containing the oat or barley gums corresponding to 0%, 1%, 2%, or 4% soluble fiber for 9 days. Plasma triglyceride, liver cholesterol, and liver triglyceride concentrations were lower in rats fed the diets containing 1-4% oat gum and 2-4% barley gum than in rats fed the gum-free diet. None of the gums had any significant effect on plasma cholesterol concentration. The diet containing 4% oat gum increased the fecal excretion of total lipids. Fecal excretion of acidic steroids was higher in rats fed the diets containing 2-4% oat gum and 1% barley gum than in rats fed the gum-free diet. Neither of the gums had any significant effect on the fecal excretion of neutral steroids. These results indicate that the minimum amounts of oat and barley gums, which act as lipid-lowering compounds, are 1% and 2% fiber in the diet, respectively.
