Prasad Ravindra Manjeshwar1, Urban D
BACKGROUND
Various vegetable oils are used for cooking foods in India. Controversies have been created that consumption of certain vegetable oils cause atherogenesis. A little is known about the effect of vegetable oils in hypercholesterolaemic conditions. Hypercholesterolaemia, mainly the increased plasma Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) has been implicated in the early development and progression of atherosclerosis and Coronary Heart Diseases (CHD). Current study is designed to assess the effect of various vegetable oils such as coconut, sunflower, palm, olive oil and vanaspati on lipid profile and oxidative stress parameters in rats fed on a high-cholesterol diet.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Hypercholesterolaemia is induced by supplementing cholesterol with the basal diet. Reference dose of various vegetable oils were administered once daily for 90 days. After the treatment period of 90 days, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and oxidative stress parameters are estimated and analysed.
RESULTS
In the present study, we observed the lipid-lowering effect of various vegetable oils in rats fed with high-cholesterol diet. Administration of cholesterol showed increased level of lipid profile. Concurrent administration of various vegetable oils with high-cholesterol diet caused a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL cholesterol. This conclusion is made based on the observation that the vegetable oils were able to restore, at least partially, the lipid profile of hypercholesterolaemic rats. A decline of antioxidant status associated with an increase in lipid peroxidation was observed in all the vegetable oil treated groups. Among the oils, coconut oil showed a mild increase in High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and least increase in lipid peroxidation compared to other vegetable oils treated groups.
CONCLUSION
Results suggest that the addition of vegetable oils showed a positive influence on lipid metabolism in hypercholesterolaemic rats. Among the vegetable oils, coconut oil was found to be beneficial as it has more antioxidant property. These findings can provide useful information regarding the choice of vegetable oils in hypercholesterolaemic patients in future.
