1993 Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 17-24
Male Zucker rats either genetically obese (fa/fa) or lean (Fa/-) were fed a semi-purified diet containing either cornstarch or amylomaize starch (Eurylon 7R) rich in amylose (70%). Obese rats were hyperlipidemic (cholesterol, 3.27±0.18; triglycerides, 2.11±0.12g/liter), when compared with lean rats (cholesterol, 1.13±0.03; triglycerides, 0.75±0.05g/liter). The amylomaize diet did not reduce the body weight of the Zucker rats. However, it decreased weight, esterified cholesterol, and triglyceride content of the liver in both lean and obese rats. The amylomaize diet decreased plasma cholesterol levels of obese rats (-42%) and lean rats (-30%), while plasma triglyceride levels were significantly decreased only in the lean rats (-43%). The cholesterol content of chylomicrons, VLDL, LDL1 (1.006-1.040), and LDL2 (1.040-1.063, which contains apo E-rich HDL) was reduced by 40 to 50%, while that of HDL was reduced by only 20% (lean) or 23% (obese). Diet containing amylose-rich starch therefore constitutes a promising new way of nutritional control of hyperlipidemias.
