This work aimed to determine the effects of oat and wheat bran fibers on the lipid profile in the blood of wistar mouse (Rattus novergicus). This work used 48 animals, which were randomly distributed and divided into eight groups. During a period of six days, the animals received a pattern diet for adapting to the experiment. After this period, the animals received different diets for 63 days. The diets were composed of 5, 10, and 15% of oat bran and 1% of cholesterol. Other three diests were composed of 5, 10, and 15% of wheat bran as fiber source and 1% of cholesterol. There was two control groups, being the first exempt of cholesterol and with 5% of cellulose as fiber source, and the second having 1% of cholesterol. After 63 days feeding the experimental diets, the animals were submitted to analyses for cholesterol in the blood, HDL, LDL, VLDL, and triacylglicerol. The mice fed with oatmeal at 5, 10, and 15% presented a significant reduction of serum cholesterol relative to the control group containing 1% of cholesterol and to those fed with 1% cholesterol. The HDL levels were higher in groups fed with oatmeal and 15% of wheat meal than in those fed wheat meal at 5 and 10%. In spite of that, there was no statistical difference relative to the control groups and those fed with oat brans. The LDL concentrations were lower in the treatments with 10 and 15% relative to the control containing cholesterol and to the treatments with wheat meal. Triacylglicerol levels were significantly lower in animals fed with 15% oatmeal and wheat meal relative to all other treatments. It follows that the lipid profile may be improved with the addition of oat bran to the diet and that wheat meal influences only the levels of serum triacylglicerol.
Wheat bran; oat bran; cholesterol; rats
