Cereal Chem. 70:435-440   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Cholesterol-Lowering Effects in Hamsters of beta-Glucan-Enriched Barley Fraction, Dehulled Whole Barley, Rice Bran, and Oat Bran and Their Combinations.

T. S. Kahlon, F. I. Chow, B. E. Knuckles, and M. M. Chiu. Copyright 1993 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The cholesterol-lowering activity of a beta-glucan-enriched barley fraction (GEB) (fed at several levels), milled dehulled whole barley, stabilized rice bran, oat bran,and 1:1 dietary fiber combinations of GEB with rice bran or oat bran, and rice bran with oat bran was investigated in 0.25% cholesterol-fed hamsters. All diets contained 10% total dietary 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 08 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 diets as compared with the cellulose control diet. The ratio of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to total plasma cholesterol was maintained. Liver cholesterol was significantly reduced in hamsters by all test diets, except dehulled whole barley. The viscous property of diets containing cereal fractions suggests that plasma cholesterol-lowering by oat bran and GEB (13.9% TDF) may result in reduced absorption or reabsorption of lipids, bile acids, and their metabolites.